


Declarations at Dawn

by WriterRach



Series: Dancing with Desire [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Ballroom AU, F/M, Royalty AU, aged au, dance au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2019-08-09 11:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16448663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterRach/pseuds/WriterRach
Summary: The final Dancing With Desire Fic.Ladybug and Chat Noir have finally learnt each other's true identities, but without the other's knowledge. With a new dancing show taking Paris by storm, Adren's Coronation and Birthday fast approaching, and Marinette working under Gabriel Agreste as an intern, how are they going to be able to confront each other and their true feelings?





	1. Foreword

Hey everyone!

Welcome to the final part of the Dancing with Desire series!

 

I honestly never thought this would become such a large fic series that is this popular! 

It is near the end of October 2018 and I'm about to embark on NaNoWriMo while working nearly fulltime, but I'll be working on both Decisions at Dawn and an original work of mine this month ahead so please be patient with me.

I promise I'll be working on this fic though and hoping to get it done within a year - I pretty much guarantee this will be a long fic, maybe as long as Mysteries at Midnight, but hopefully taking less time.

There are a lot of elements left to explore so please come a long for the ride and do share your thoughts on the events that transpire because your support really does mean the world to me.

See you November 1st!

Allons-y!


	2. Young Renegade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the pit of despair where these kids torture us and themselves for god knows how many chapters.

Adrien sighed as he stared out the window of the castle. Well, castle was a term used incredibly loosely, he thought dully. Where he was staying was more like an incredibly large mansion on an estate ten times the size of the building.

He looked down at the personal planner on the desk he was sitting at and crossed another day off the little calendar in the corner. He had been here for longer than his father had originally said. He had left at the end of November, with barely a goodbye to his friends, and now it was nearly a week and a half into January.

He wondered if his father just planned to keep him here until his birthday. Chloé had only been here for the promised week, and had left with a spring in her step, promising to be back for the Christmas break – which Adrien’s father had declined.

She had surprised Adrien with her dedication to the role as Prince’s consort during that first week. She dutifully listened and tried her best with their lessons and training, hoping to please Astor and Estelle, their instructors. She took to dressing the part, her trendy boutique clothes being discarded in favour of delicate gowns in shades of yellow and gold, even her speech and behaviour seemed to transcend anything he could have expected.

He looked out the window again, half hoping the sea of green lawns and trees would have manifested into a view of the coast. He wasn’t far from Paris - in fact it was a seventy-two-hour walk, including a ferry trip – but he felt like he was on the other side of the planet.

He hadn’t spoken to Marinette since the competition, assuming, of course, that she was, indeed, Ladybug. She hadn’t messaged him since that night, and every time he opened the chat to write a message he couldn’t find the words. She hadn’t messaged Chat Noir either, probably assuming he was still wound up in the ‘family stuff’.

Adrien had heard from Nino once a week, and Alya tried to keep the Ladyblog alive but with both dancers missing in action, it was losing the traction it had so quickly gained. She was trying something new, she had announced online after the holiday break, but her plans were still in motion so she was keeping it all under wraps until they were all ready.

It was through Nino, not Alya surprisingly, that Adrien found out that Marinette had been accepted with one other aspiring designer to intern at the Agreste company with his father. Which probably explained why she hadn’t been posting to her social media much either.

Beside him, his phone vibrated, causing him to nearly jump from his reverie.

“H-hello, this is Adrien Agreste speaking.”

“Adrien, you will be coming home on Friday to finalize your studies at the University. Ensure you are packed and ready for your return,” Nathalie’s voice had recently taken on a cold tone, like his father’s. He wondered if that was because the more pressure on his father, the more pressure he exuded onto everyone else.

“R-really? I’m able to graduate?”

“It is expected for a Prince to be a well-educated graduate. However, your final year of study will be transferred and completed amongst your duties in Asluicia.”

“O-oh, right. Thank you,” Adrien replied. He wanted to ask about her day to find out more about how things had been at home; considering his father was so distant, this level of homesickness was mildly surprising.

“I must go,” Nathalie said quickly, the line going dead almost immediately and he sighed. It was the most interaction he’d had with anyone from home in a few days.  He kicked his chair out and put his phone back on the desk rather than in the pocket of the dress pants he was confined to for pretty much all hours he was awake.

He wanted to go for a walk – maybe a seventy-two hour one would clear his head, he wondered dully as he changed out of his clothes. If he could sneak out for just a little bit, maybe he could find something worthwhile on this tiny island. As he began to pull on his jeans he heard Astor knocking at his door; Adrien hurriedly dropped his jeans back into his closet, pulling out the silk pyjama bottoms he wore for bed.

“Come in,” he called, hoping he seemed calm.

“Master Adrien you-” The man’s beady eyes narrowed as he looked down his nose at the boy, taking in his appearance. “Are you retiring for the evening?”

“Y-yes. I was just informed I would be returning to Paris on Friday and thought an early night would provide better study for the days before I leave.”

“Well, to be frank, you won’t be gone for long. Your father has expressly requested that you return bi-weekly to continue your studies.”

“He has?”

“Of course. It is only a short flight between anyway. You will be returning here on the Friday afternoons and then flying back to Paris on the Sunday evenings. It is only for a few months,” Astor waved his hand dismissively and Adrien hoped the way his heart deflated wasn’t visible in his expression. “In other regards, since you are retiring for the evening, shall I have the cooks send dinner to your room?”

“Uh, no. I’m not hungry,” Adrien replied. “I think I’ll do some light reading and go to sleep.”

Astor’s eyes flickered from the novel on his bedside table to the closed leather-bound journal on his desk before he nodded curtly.

“Very well. I shall fetch you in the early morning for your classes. I bid you a good night.”

“Good night, Astor.”

Adrien waited as the man didn’t move for a moment before rapidly exiting from the room, a habit that greatly annoyed him. Once the door was shut and the footsteps had vanished, he took off the pyjama pants and pulled back on his jeans. He tugged on his sneakers and his bomber jacket, slipping his phone and wallet into his pockets along with a shred of black cloth and cracked open his window.

Adrien made to step out, but hurriedly arranged his pillows under the covers in the age-old method of deception, before looking out and checking no one was walking around the grounds. When the coast was clear, he carefully stepped out onto the thin concrete of the exterior trim and gently shut the pane of glass just before it clicked. He hugged the wall to the nearest brick column, where he carefully shimmied down to the safety on ground on the first floor.

He crouched and tried to stealthily make his way as far out of sight as he could, once he reached tree-cover, he pulled on his mask and tugged his hood up before he reached the garage. Adrien ran his fingers over the top of the door frame – a terrible place to keep the spare key – before sliding the key into the lock and entering.

He was sure one of the workers at the castle had probably noticed the first or second time he had snuck out. Even though he had tried to park back in the same place, they were bound to have noticed the tank was a little lighter, and yet he hadn’t been called out.

Adrien carefully opened the garage, wary of noise despite being a great distance from the mansion and Astor before wheeling the motorbike out into the gravel driveway. He returned, picking up the helmet and keys before carefully shutting the garage doors.

The first time he had ‘borrowed’ the bike, he had no real idea how to use it. It had taken a great deal of getting used to and the first night, he hadn’t been able to go anywhere except out of town to a small stretch of country road to learn how to drive. The second time, he had driven through the streets of the city. It had been just before the holidays, snow and decorations lining the streets as people happily shopped and made their way home.

Tonight, he just wanted to drive. Adrien pulled on his helmet and started the engine, leaving the grounds at a reasonable speed. When he hit the main road he sped up, enjoying the freedom as the wind whipped at his clothes.

He slowed as he passed through the town, people making their way home for the evenings and closing up their shops. It was a quaint little town, he had to admit. There were cafes, a butcher, a bookshop and many other nice places. For the most part the town was untouched by big corporations and it was just… pleasant. Adrien passed the church main church and part of him wondered what it was like to have a strong faith to believe in above anything; but it was fleeting as he sped out of the town and towards the country homes and beyond that, the coast.

He took some dirt roads, thinking that surely the people of Asluicia knew more about the land than any main roadway, and found himself coming up to a cliff-side. He slowed and killed the engine, pulling off his helmet as he climbed off. In the distance, he could just see the sunset and darkness beyond the horizon but he still couldn’t help but imagine the twinkling lights of the city he grew up in. He imagined he could see the Eiffel Tower, lighting up in it’s evening glory; beyond that was the Louvre, the sunset bouncing off its glass structure.

He imagined the university, professors locking up and heading home for the evening, the students second week back already filling their schedules beyond belief. He imagined Nino and Alya heading to their apartment together, Nino probably talking about some new track or an event coming up at the club and Alya probably babbling nonsense about her newest idea.

And then his mind wandered to a girl who was probably curled up in her living room, a sketchbook on her lap; pencils, pins and fabric scraps scattered across her table, a red bird on her shoulder.

 

~~~~~

Marinette jumped as her phone buzzed beside her. She groggily pulled her head from the pillow and winced as the light from her phone blinded her for a moment. She forced herself on her back, toeing off the weight on her feet.

As her shoes fell to the floor, she saw she had a new message from Chat Noir and her heart nearly stopped.

She hadn’t heard from him in over a month. Marinette bit her lip, remembering their last message; well, the messages between her and Adrien. She still wasn’t completely convinced that Chat Noir and Adrien were the same person, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility. She felt guilt begin to trickle into her stomach. If Adrien and Chat Noir really were the same person, it meant not only had she been lying to him, but he had been lying to her as well.

She shook her head. It wasn’t lying, she reasoned. They both chose to hide their identities and keep them hidden for each other’s comfort and safety… for _her_ comfort and safety. She opened the message, noting that was sent to Marinette’s account, not Ladybug’s; and leant across her bed to her lamp. The sun was only just setting, but it was getting dark quickly. She couldn’t wait for spring and longer evenings. She had so many outfits planned for the season – if she ever got the chance to make them, she thought grimly.

Working at the Agreste company was exhausting. She was only a week into it and was already feeling the tension getting to her. She thought shadowing designers and helping out would mean giving her opinions on textures and patterns or finishing up garments; not running coffee orders and being barked at when things went wrong. She was honestly just glad she had made it through her first week without spilling coffee on anyone, or anything.

Marinette pulled her covers around her, ignoring the fact she was still fully dressed and tapped the image file Chat had sent her. The picture was a breathtaking coastal view from atop a cliff, the sky growing dark over the horizon, not a cloud in sight. As she closed to type a reply, another one came through and she opened it to see rolling country hills with the same dark sky and in the corner was a blonde boy with a mask pulling a goofy face, barely in frame.

She couldn’t help but smile. Even if it had been weeks since they had spoken, she was happy to hear from him.

**How’s the family trip?**

He took a moment to reply, the dots in the bottom corner disappearing for a moment and reappearing before his message popped up.

**[ChatNoir:] Dullsville. Can’t wait to come back to Paris.**

Unwilling to ask where he was in case it added further evidence to the Adrien Noir pile, Marinette typed her new message.

**Do you have a date yet? It’ll be good to see you again.**

**[ChatNoir:] Purrincess, do you miss me?**

Marinette felt her cheeks flush at his message. The memory of their night before the competition was not so easily forgotten.

**I will admit it’s been a little boring without a tomcat hanging around. I’m getting a lot of work done at least.**

**[Chat Noir:] Oh, I heard through the grapevine you got that internship for Gabriel Agreste! I knew you’d blow them away**

**I only started last week; and I wasn’t the only designer who got through**

Marinette read over her message, frowning at the tone that came across and hurriedly added:

**It’s been such a cool experience already I can’t wait to learn more**

She hoped it came across as appropriately enthusiastic; especially if it was Adrien she was talking to. It would be incredibly rude of her to make a big deal about being unsure of applying, getting the internship and then not being appreciative of the work.

**[ChatNoir:] I hope it’s everything you wanted**

Marinette bit her lip as her emotions fought for control over her. She couldn’t help but feel the distance between them more than anything. They had grown so close in such a short time frame, he was her partner and one of her best friends. Everything else she felt for him wasn’t as important, especially while she was working through everything else.

He was supportive and to be honest, Chat Noir was the main reason she had continued with the application. She had put Adrien aside – even if he was the same boy – and followed through because it was her dream and Chat Noir had been near adamant that she follow her own dreams.

**Right now it’s getting coffee orders but I’m sure it will be**

She followed with a laughing emoticon and saw him begin his reply before the dots disappeared. It was several more moments before she got a reply and she had wondered if he had been distracted or just unsure what to say.

**[ChatNoir:] Promise to tell me all about when I get back? We can get lunch**

Marinette thought it over. There really wasn’t any real downfall to it, plus he probably wouldn’t be back for a few weeks and by then things surely would have improved.

**Sure. You’ll have to let me know when you know you’ll be back so I can schedule it**

**[ChatNoir:] How does Saturday afternoon sound?**

**[ChatNoir:] I come back Friday night.**

Marinette felt her heart race. He was going to be back at the end of the week, as in _this_ week. Would that mean that Adrien would reappear at the end of the week as well? She swallowed hard.

 **I might be at Agreste** **but I’m sure I could get take my lunch break later or something**

**[Chat Noir:] Working on weekends? They must really need you**

He added a cat smiling emoticon and Marinette gave her phone a shaky smile even though she knew he couldn’t see it. She wasn’t sure what to say in return. He was happy for her and she couldn’t ruin that.

**I’m sure Saturday afternoon can work**

It was a simple reply, she nodded to herself. Her stomach growled and she climbed out of bed, keeping her covers over her shoulders.

**[ChatNoir:] I can’t wait. It feels like it’s been forever**

**It’s only been just over a month**

Despite her words, Marinette couldn’t deny the feeling in her chest. He was right, it did feel like forever.

**[ChatNoir:] Have you heard from Adrien?**

Marinette set her phone down while she rummaged in her freezer for some left overs, contemplating her answer. She got updates from Nino and Alya, but she hadn’t spoken to him herself. She just couldn’t find the words. Maybe if he reappeared this week she could think of something to say to him.

**Not since before he left. Nino and Alya say he’s doing okay though. Apparently family trips aren’t all tourist traps and cheesy photos**

**[ChatNoir:] You sound like you have experience in the latter**

**Well I do have family in China. My parents love that stuff**

**[ChatNoir:] that does sound like them**

**[ChatNoir:] not that I know them very well**

**[ChatNoir:] Did you know they were at the competition?**

Marinette’s cheeks flared as her eyes moved to the photo stuck to the support wall of the kitchen. Chat Noir had his arm awkwardly around Ladybug, like a pose for a school dance or something. The background was the simple black wall of the hall. Of course, it had been Chat’s first-time meeting Marinette’s parents, at least, as Chat Noir.

**R-right yeah. They told me when they came over afterwards.**

**I’m so sorry I hope it wasn’t too awkward**

She put a bowl of leftover pasta in the microwave and turned it on, watching her phone on the counter as it lit up with the new message.

**[ChatNoir:] Not at all Princess. Just a shame you weren’t there as well**

**[ChatNoir:] I’m afraid I have to go**

**[ChatNoir:] if we don’t talk before then I look forward to seeing you Saturday**

He followed with a few cat emojis before his icon went grey. Marinette frowned as she read over his messages. If it was Adrien and he was away working on his princely role, she was a little concerned at the fact he hadn’t been around much. Had his father forced him to stay over the Christmas break? She hoped he hadn’t spent it alone, or at least, without friends.

She pulled out the bowl from the microwave, yanking her hand away as the stone burned her fingers. Tikki chittered in concern but she brushed it off, pulling out a fork and stirring it before putting it back in. She held the fork to her lips as she leant back against the counter, Adrien still on her mind.


	3. Unwitting Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lunch surprise

Marinette all but dragged herself into her early lecture that Friday morning. She had had another late night the day before, stuck at Agreste from eight in the morning until eight that night, not getting home until a little after nine. 

She had, to her surprise, been ‘promoted’. Instead of just running for coffee, she was now also helping with fabric selection and cuts. It was a nice change, something Marinette was a little more used to, but she ached to be able to sew her own designs once more. She had barely had the time to even sketch anything lately and she was falling behind in her final assignments already.

“Marinette, how’s the internship going?” a boy asked as she flopped into her seat, her travel mug of coffee nearly spilling as she set it down.

“It’s… an experience, I’ll say that,” she gave a weak smile and the boy grinned.

“It must be amazing to work with Gabriel Agreste. He’s one of the best.”

Marinette just nodded. Gabriel Agreste was definitely one of the best, but if his lower level designers were anything to go by, he wasn’t much by way of management and employee support. Perhaps there was a union? Marinette wondered idly as she pulled out her sketch and notebooks.

Madame Bustier entered and gave everyone a nod, her eyes lingering on Marinette for a moment longer before launching into the days lecture.  Marinette hoped the notes she took would be legible when she finally got around to them. Thankfully, some of Madame Bustier’s words already connected with words she heard people talking about at Agreste. The latest trends and the changes they would be seeing in the new season, how to spot trends before they happened to be able to gain an advantage in the market.

“Of course, actually marketing yourself and running a business will be focused on more in your final year. Remember, I strongly advise you take up the business economics short course over the summer break to truly maximise your skills and productivity next year. A lot of you will probably end up starting out on your own with nothing, whether by choice or by circumstance. It’s important you have the necessary skills to be able to flourish in your career.” Madame Bustier explained, her eyes falling on the dark-haired girl just off the centre of the room, her sketch book open and her pencil lazily drawing shapes as her eyes fluttered shut. The woman frowned before dismissing her students, asking the girl to stay back.

“Marinette, how is the internship?”

“I-it’s great, Madame,” Marinette replied, as she stifled a yawn. “They actually have me working on fabrics and patterns now.”

“Marinette, I don’t want you to burn yourself out. I know I recommended you for this, but if you’re being overworked you really should make a decision and-”

“Madame Bustier, I’m not going to drop this course,” Marinette shook her head. She had seen the way her instructor had been looking at her.

“I was actually going to suggest maybe taking a break from your… extra curriculars.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Madame Bustier you’re not suggesting…? No, I couldn’t. I couldn’t give up ballroom,” she shook her head. “And besides, right now Ladybug isn’t needed, which means I can focus on my studies and this internship.”

“Marinette, you aren’t a work-horse. You can’t pile everything up like this.”

“Madame Bustier, am I at risk of failing your ballroom class?”

“Well, no-”

“And my design course?”

“Marinette you know you aren’t at risk, I’m just worried about your health. This is your second week and you look like you’re going to fall asleep on your feet,” the woman frowned.

“Madame, I promise, I’m fine. Once I get back into the swing of things, I’ll be fine,” Marinette shook her head a little as she put her books back in her bag and picked up her mug. “I’ll see you in the studio,” she smiled.

“Marinette,” the woman began but Marinette held her coffee up in farewell as she left, her bag slung over her shoulder.

As she stepped out into the brisk air, she tugger her cardigan a little tighter before making her way to the nearest carpark to find Nino and Alya. They decided to try something new for the new year, Nino offering to drive them to somewhere new for lunch on days they all had classes together.

Marinette felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out, trying to read the name on her dull screen when she walked right into someone, stepping on their toes and smacking right into their white shirt. She felt her drink slosh in the cup and was already apologising as she hurriedly stepped away.

“Marinette?”

The girl looked up to see a tall boy with shaggy red hair, a large sketchbook in one of his arms with a large satchel over his shoulder.

“Nathaniel, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching, I mean, my phone, and the screen is dark because it came off charge in the middle of the night, I didn’t get coffee on you, did I?”

“Hey, it’s fine,” the boy laughed, pushing some of his hair from his face. “No spill, no burns. Shirt is still as white as it was,” he gave her a smile and Marinette gave a small smile in return.

“You, er, look good. Did you have a good holiday?” she asked as his hair fell back in his face. It reminded her of their high school days.

“Yeah, it was nice. Quiet,” he replied simply and they both nodded at each other quietly for a moment. “Oh, and you?”

“It was the same as always. My parents are already planning our yearly trip to China to line up with my final week here, so I’ll be pretty busy as usual.”

“I, er, heard you got an internship at Agreste? That’s awesome.”

“Well, it’s certainly keeping me occupied,” Marinette shrugged, fighting the yawn that threatened in her chest.

“Don’t over work yourself,” he said simply and she nodded in return. “Well, I, er, I’ll see you around,” he gave a small smile and a little wave before heading off.

Marinette watched him for a moment, relieved that it had been him and not someone else that she had run into. It was the first time she had seen him since the competition day; after she had read his letter, they had exchanged a few texts but that was it really. It certainly wasn’t as weird as she had been expecting.

“Marinette!” she heard Alya call and she turned to see her friend waving out of Nino’s car window, ready to go. Shaking her head a little she darted off, sliding into the back seat and shutting the door as Nino pulled away.

“Girl why were you talking to him?”

“I ran into him, like literally. I was just being polite,” Marinette fought her pout as she did up her seatbelt.

“After everything he did? He wasn’t polite when Volpina was around,” Alya frowned in the front seat.

“I know, but he apologised.”

“Oh, yeah sure, because that makes it all better. You know Marinette, you’re too nice for your own good sometimes. Just because he apologised doesn’t make up for all the shitty things he said and did. I just-”

“I know Alya, c’mon, you really think I’d let that go?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Look, he left a letter and when I caught him dropping it off he apologised to me face to face. I’m not saying I forgive him, but he seems to really understand what he did to us. We’re starting from square zero,” Marinette shook her head a little as she finished her coffee, staring out the window as Nino turned down a new street.

Alya was quiet up the front, unable to retort to Marinette’s sound logic and so Nino fiddled with the radio. It didn’t seem to matter too much though, as they pulled up at a little building a few minutes later.

“Babe, I thought we were going to check out the Thai place?” Alya asked as they climbed out.

“Next week, I promise. This place comes highly requested,” Nino grinned, putting his arm around his girlfriend as he led them in.

Marinette trailed behind, taking in the greenery that seemed to adorn most of the wall and counter space that wasn’t occupied by food or equipment. Against the far wall was a collage of mirrors and empty photo frames revealing a blackboard wall underneath where people could scrawl messages or doodle with chalk provided at the tables.

Nino looked around for a moment before heading up the stairs, the girls still behind. It wasn’t until they came out on the rooftop garden that they saw what Nino had meant.

Sitting at a round table in the corner was a blond boy tapping away at his phone, coffee in front of him. The table had three empty chairs and when Nino made his way over the boy looked up and shot a giant sunshine smile at them all.

 

~~~~~

 

Adrien was so happy, he could have swooped his friends into a giant hug. He had managed to pull some strings and get an earlier flight, leaving him just enough time to duck home and say hi to Plagg before messaging Nino to see where his friends were meeting for lunch.

“A-Adrien,” Marinette gaped and he stood, clumsily knocking the table and his coffee as he did. He saw Alya and Nino snickering out of the corner of his eye but his attention was on her.

He had forgotten just how… _nice_ she was. Her dark hair was pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck with a few loose strands to frame her face and she wore jeans a white tee-shirt with a pink blazer. Over her shoulder was the familiar black bag shaped like a cat’s head, her black painted nails clinging tightly to the strap.

“Y-you’re… you’re back?” her voice was strained as her blue eyes scanned him up and down. He was dressed pretty simply – in a simple blue shirt and dark jeans, his trademark orange sneakers and his black bomber jacket, but he saw the way her eyes flickered over his sunglasses in his hair and hovered over his jacket. He realised he had been silent a little too long.

“U-uh, yeah. I got back like an hour ago actually,” he cleared his throat, his voice breaking a little mid-sentence.

“Okay, before you both take like seven years to have a conversation, can we order something to eat? I’m starving,” Alya grinned and Adrien mentally shook himself. She was right. He was here to see them, he had his lunch date with Marinette tomorrow and he could stare at her then.

Not in the creepy way of course, he scolded himself, he was just… admiring her. She was as pretty as she had always been. He could feel his cheeks beginning to burn and looked out over the view to distract himself.

The café looked out towards the city; he could see the Seine leading past Notre Dame and towards the Eiffel tower in the distance – the landmarks of his home.

“Yo, you want anything?” Nino asked, pulling his attention back.

“Huh? Oh yeah, they have my order already. Just let them know you’re with me and they’ll put it all together on my tab,” Adrien replied and Nino’s eyes widened.

“You sure, bro?”

“Yeah man. I’m back for lunch and I’m pretty sure I skimped out last time it was my shout, so this one’s on me,” he smiled back and Nino did a fist pump before holding out his fist to Adrien. Adrien responded automatically, knocking his fist against Nino’s, before realising that it was something he had done with Ladybug. It had been a while, sure, and it wasn’t just restricted to Ladybug, he and Nino had been fist-bumping since they met, but knowing Marinette was right there made it feel wrong somehow.

Alya and Marinette were already inside and Adrien heard his heart beat in his ears as Nino disappeared after them. Why was he freaking out? It hadn’t been that long since he’d seen them; and he’d spoken to Alya and Nino a few times a week.

So why was he so thrown off? He knew Marinette would be here, it was part of the reason he had insisted on the earlier flight.

Maybe it was to be expected, he thought idly, swirling the liquid in his cup before downing the last cold dregs. _Adrien_ and Marinette hadn’t hung out in… well… longer. Chat Noir and Ladybug on the other hand… _And_ he still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the whole Ladybug/Marinette situation.

If she was Ladybug, it made his feelings towards her clearer, but it also made him question their friendship and trust. She had confessed to wanting to reveal herself at the competition, but that could have just been the pressure talking. And what happened if she actually did still want to tell him, but freaked out when she learned the truth about him.

He looked out over the view, idly reaching out to the ivy that was growing over the half-walls of the balcony. As he twisted his fingers into it, he couldn’t help but see the tangled vines as a metaphor for his life.

“If you pull too hard, they’ll snap,” Marinette’s voice made him jump, immediately feeling like a child (or cat) caught causing mischief. He turned to her but she reached past him and untangled his fingers from the vines easily. “Ivy grows together,” she explained. “It uses the frame for support and the vines climb around each other, it’s just a well-constructed net, really.”

Adrien looked at her, surprised but impressed.

“I, er, used to have some ivy pots on my bedroom roof,” she added, cheeks tinting pink. “I was always getting tangled in them whenever I made up dance routines on the balcony,” she laughed.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” he smiled. “You seem like the type.”

She raised an eyebrow and he was reminded of when they had fallen at the top of her stairs. He felt the need to backtrack.

“To make up dance routines, I mean. I mean, not that you aren’t clumsy, but like it’s not, er, assumed of you.” He felt he was digging himself into a bigger hole here so he just shut his mouth and shot her what he hoped was an apologetic look. She looked at him for a moment and he half expected a lecture, but instead she surprised him by laughing.

“Relax Adrien, it’s fine. I knew what you meant,” she smiled, fiddling with the bottle of her iced tea on the table.

“So, how’s the internship going?”

“You heard about that, huh?”

“Well someone had to fill me in,” he shrugged. “We haven’t talked since the day of the competition.”

“R-right. Sorry about that,” she sighed. “I mean, it’s just, when I didn’t hear from you after a week, I figured you were busy, but then you weren’t in classes and so I wasn’t sure what to think; but then I overheard Chloé telling Sabrina you were still… away and so I just… I wasn’t sure.” She bit her lip, staring intently at the bottle as she twisted it in her hands. “And then it was Christmas, and New Years and I started interning at Agreste and now it’s two weeks into that and you’re back, yknow?”

“Hey, Mari, it’s okay, really. I, er, was busy. My schedule was full pretty much from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed and the few times I was free Nino or Alya or Chloé or someone or something else was demanding my attention,” he sighed. “It goes both ways, I’m sorry I didn’t make more of an effort.”

“N-no, Adrien, really, I understand. You had a lot on your plate, I couldn’t… like, I don’t expect you to be able to drop that stuff just to talk to me,” she said quickly, meeting his eyes.

He wanted to tell her he thought about her every day, and that of everything in Paris, he had missed her company the most… but the words wouldn’t come. Not yet, at least. Bitterly, he thought it would have been easier if they were both wearing their masks, but it wouldn’t mean the same. Instead he shook his head and put a hand over one of hers.

“We’ll make time, okay? While I’m here and while I’m gone, alright?”

Her hands were cold, but her cheeks were turning pinker by the second. She swallowed hard and nodded and behind her, he could see Nino and Alya returning. He went to remove his hand from Marinette’s but considered leaving it there; however, she pulled away as Alya and Nino sat down, putting her hands in her lap, leaving her unopened iced tea sitting on the coaster on the glass table.

“So, tell us about the trip,” Alya grinned after a moment of watching Marinette and Adrien and their awkward interaction.

“Not much to say. I was trapped inside for most of it,” he shrugged.

“Really?” Nino frowned.

“Yeah. You know my dad. He’s always got something planned for me. What I would give for a real holiday,” he sighed, settling back into his chair.

“Well, Marinette and her parents are going back to China in a few months, maybe you could join them?” Alya winked at Marinette as the girl beside him went beet red.

“A-Alya, he can’t just disappear to China for two weeks,” Marinette began but Adrien cut her off.

“I wish I could. I’ve never been. Think you could smuggle me in your suitcase?” he added with a playful wink and she rolled her eyes despite her cheeks staying pink.

“Your father would have a fit, he’d tear Europe apart to find you.”

“Good thing I’d be in Asia,” he grinned and she laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a day ahead for NaNoWriMo because I have work tomorrow and don't really want to work ten hours and then have to write so here have another chapter bc why not :)


	4. Announcements and Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise announcement

Adrien’s heart felt lighter in their hour of lunch than it had in the weeks he had been away. Gideon sat in the opposite corner of the villa, eating and reading a newspaper while the group caught up. They had laughed and joked about him joining Marinette’s family for the trip, Alya insisting he’d be adopted by the Cheng’s and Marinette’s cheeks growing progressively darker as they bantered.

He ended up casually resting an arm over the back of her chair, which she didn’t seem to mind. Unfortunately, most of the conversation had been about him, not really giving him the chance to watch his friends; though Nino and Alya seemed as happy as ever, their chairs practically squished together, Nino resting a hand on Alya’s thigh while she unleashed her barrage of questions about his trip.

“Can we stop talking about his trip, Alya? You’d think you’d be willing to share our news more than listen to his,” Nino rolled his eyes and both Adrien and Marinette looked each other for a moment before sitting up a little straighter.

“What news?”

“Nino,” Alya sighed.

“Come on, we’ve been waiting like a week to do this and now Adrien’s here as well, so let’s just tell them.”

“Tell us what?” Marinette blinked, confused and sounding a little hurt that she hadn’t been told before this.

“Well, I wanted to do this over dinner or something,” Alya shook her head, looking at her phone. “Not when we have to leave for Madame Bustier’s class.”

“Alya, I swear you better tell me,” Marinette shook her head and Adrien looked at Nino quizzically but the boy shrugged.

“If you won’t I will,” he said, looking at his girlfriend. What were they keeping? Was Alya pregnant or something?

“Well,” Alya sighed before readjusting herself in her seat; “on New Year’s Eve Nino proposed.”

“What?” Adrien gasped and Marinette squealed loudly.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” she cried and Adrien wondered if she was really the one who should be getting upset about secrets.

“Well, I said no,” Alya sighed and Adrien blinked, looking to Nino who just shrugged as if to say that was the way it went.

“What? Why?” Adrien asked, seeing Marinette had gone pale.

“Because we just moved in together, and he’s _crazy_ ,” Alya added, shooting her partner an affectionate wink.

“So… why such a big reveal if she said no?” Adrien asked after a moment. Beside him Marinette nodded, just as confused as he was.

“Because he said he wanted to do it right. You guys know how our courses are only two years. We’re both going to get our degrees in a few months and whilst he’s already got his career stuff pretty much set with his brothers and the club, I don’t know what I’m going to do professionally. I can’t keep piggybacking Ladybug and Chat Noir, especially when no-one’s heard from them in months.”

“Well, you know, they have their own degrees to get,” Marinette shook her head. “But I see your point.”

“So, we decided that we want you guys to help us plan something.”

“What?”

“Like a wedding?” Adrien asked, confused.

“No, the proposal,” Alya laughed. “Nino needs to work on his… idea of romance. Telling me he wanted to marry me in the backroom of the club wasn’t exactly romantic.”

“Why us?”

“Because you’re our best friends, and we trust you.”

“It’s not very, er, romantic, if you know it’s coming,” Adrien muttered taking a sip of his water.

“I think it’s better that way,” Marinette shook her head at him. “I mean, if you’re going to propose to someone you both should have the same feelings about being together and your future. I mean, it shouldn’t be unexpected; but the time and place, what happens, _that’s_ the beauty in it.”

“My girl Marinette gets it in one,” Alya grinned proudly.

“So whaddaya say, man?” Nino sat forward, meeting Adrien’s eyes. He could tell he really wanted him on board with this.

“I mean… I guess. You guys know I’m only here until the end of the semester though,” he frowned. “But I do want to help you out.”

“You make it sound so…formal,” Marinette laughed. “They want us to be a part of this moment they will remember probably forever. I think it’s sweet.”

“That’s two points for Marinette. C’mon Agreste, you’re really behind here.”

Adrien sighed, but felt a smile tug at his lips. Marinette was right. His friends wanted him to be a part of their life changing step forward, and sure, it would be a little difficult to help plan something while he was flying back and forth from Asluicia, but…

Adrien looked at them, Alya and Marinette were happily chatting away, and Nino had sat back a little, his eyes lovingly focused on his girlfriend while he waited for his best friend to answer.

How could he say no to the only real friends he’d ever had?

“Alright,” he grinned. “I’m in. Let’s plan an engagement proposal,” he exclaimed, his friends jumping a little before laughing. They all held their glasses of water together in a toast and took a sip before Marinette recoiled from her glass.

“We’re going to be late for Madame Bustier,” she declared, hurriedly standing, Alya and Nino following suit. Adrien stood with them, following them down the stairs and out onto the street, Gideon close behind.

“I’ll see you there,” he grinned and Marinette froze for a moment.

“Huh?”

“In class. I mean, I’m not officially back until tomorrow, but I think it would be fun to see what Madame Bustier has for us this month,” he smiled.

“O-oh, um, okay. I guess we’ll see you there,” she said, her tone going up at the end as if she was asking a question.

“Can’t wait,” Adrien grinned, waving goodbye before heading over to the car across the street. Gideon had already started the engine and Adrien climbed into the passenger seat, happy to be back home.

“You all seemed very excited about something. It’s good to see,” Gideon nodded.

“I didn’t realise just how much I’d missed them,” he replied with a hum of agreement. He looked out the window as Gideon drove, his mind wandering back to Marinette.

She looked good, like she’d been focusing on herself for a little while. If _Dessinatuer_ was keeping his word, she would have had nothing to really worry about over the holidays except regular holiday stuff and assignments. Marinette’s eyes had seemed a bit tired, but knowing her, she was probably just working herself to the best she could while interning for his father. He’d have to stop in and check up on her progress at some point.

Adrien pulled the satchel from the seat behind him as Gideon pulled up behind Nino and Alya in the car park. He gave a nod to say he’d be back and Adrien thanked him as he got out.

“Adrien? Adrien Agreste, is that you?” a voice he wasn’t ready to hear caught his attention as a brunette girl bounced in front of him.

“Lila, hey, how’s it going?”

“Good, I went to the UK with my parents for the holidays,” Lila smiled. “It’s good to see you’re finally back. I was worried she’d done something,” the girl added, casually linking her arms with his. Despite the cool breeze, she was dressed in a dark playsuit with fishnet stockings and a bright orange blazer.

He didn’t have to ask to know who she was referring to.

“No, the trip with Chloé was actually not as bad as you’d think. She and I do… okay on our own,” he said carefully.

“Well I mean one would assume so if you are engaged,” Lila shrugged.

“Yeah, look, that’s not common knowledge okay? So, can you keep it quiet?” he asked.

“Oh of course, Adrien,” she said with a smile. Something about the way she was so eager to please him made him uncomfortable, but he forced the feelings down, remembering everything she had been capable of as Volpina. Adrien casually slipped his arm from hers as they approached the classroom door, Nino and Alya heading in.

Adrien paused, eyes searching for Marinette but she was no-where to be seen. Had she decided to skip class, he wondered? She had made a bit of a fuss about not missing it. Surely, she wouldn’t return as Ladybug, he thought.

“What’s up, slugger?” Lila asked, tugging at his hand.

“S-Sorry, I was looking for Marinette,” he frowned.

“Oh, I saw her earlier. She’s already in class. Seemed pretty eager too. She’s dedicated and it shows in steps, don’t you think?”

“Y-yeah. She’s… she’s sure something on the floor,” Adrien breathed, fighting against the blood that rushed to his cheeks as he remembered the month before he left.  So many times, they had been so close, their bodies pressed against each other, most of the time completely unchaperoned. If only he had had the guts and the foresight to have seen where this would end up…

“I mean sure, but she’s not the best,” Lila said, seemingly not noticing Adrien’s moment of awkwardness. “Anyway, shall we go in?” she asked with a smile.

 

~~~~~~

 

Adrien’s back, Marinette thought to herself as she changed in the designated area. He had said he wasn’t supposed to officially be back until tomorrow… which was when she and Chat Noir were supposed to meet up.

As much as she hated to admit it, the case for Adrien and Chat Noir being the same person was starting to seem pretty unbreakable. The way he had reacted when he’d seen her only really made sense if that were true as well.

He had stood up when she’s called his name and probably suppressed a bow or something, she thought with a small smile. Adrien Agreste had no reason to be so shocked and awkward to see her… he also had no reason to have been so comfortable with her, nearly affectionate even, she thought as she remembered the casual way he’d put his arm around her.

Okay, so she was pretty much sold on the idea of the two boys being one. She just really wasn’t sure how to deal with it properly. It felt like there was this big question mark hanging above him when she saw him. Why hadn’t he trusted her with the truth? He had told her practically everything else. Of course, the same could be said for her but Marinette tried hard not to think of the specifics of that.

Ladybug was special, she was someone worth remembering, but Marinette… she was not.

She buckled up her shoes and stepped out, noticing Alya and Nino making their way into the change area as she was leaving. Chloé was nowhere to be seen, but she would probably appear once word spread that Adrien was back.

She gave a nod to Sean who shot her a smile but continued talking with some girls Marinette had seen in a few classes before. She found a spot near the back corner and began walking herself through some steps that Madame Bustier had been teaching them.

The cha-cha was probably one of her least favourite styles, but she always seemed to manage to get through it with Sean without making too much of a fool of herself. Something about the quick steps and having to coordinate the rolls and twists of the rest of her body had always teetered on the borderline of her clumsiness.

She heard the collective intake of breath and immediate whispers as Adrien entered and as she tried to keep her gaze from him, her eyes eventually made their way to the blonde boy – whose eyes were on her. Marinette swallowed hard for a moment, the deep green held her, reminding her of just how close she had gotten to him. She faltered in her step and stumbled a little, catching herself without drawing too much attention, but taking hers from Adrien.

When she looked back, Marinette saw Lila beside him and a chill went down her spine. She felt her expression drop, but hoped it wasn’t too obvious; after all, she was the only one who knew the truth, that Volpina and Lila were the same girl. It made a little sense as to why Lila had tried to so hard to befriend her, but it also made less sense as to why she would also threaten her as Volpina. She shook her head a little, trying to shake the thoughts away; whatever her reasons were, Marinette had to be careful of what Lila was going to try next.

Madame Bustier entered behind the two and that was the last Marinette had to think about her social life.

“Monsieur Agreste, what a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you back until next week,” the instructor said, her tone as kind as ever but a slight edge to her words.

“What can I say, Madame, guess I couldn’t wait to get back into it,” Adrien smiled brilliantly at the woman before his eyes darted back to Marinette. The girl hurriedly looked away, hoping her staring hadn’t been too obvious.

“We’ve started a new style, so I’ll partner you with one of my best to help you catch up. Marinette, you’ll be Adrien’s partner for a few classes until he catches up,” Madame Bustier called, nodding in approval before walking into her small office.

Marinette’s heart sped up as she felt her cheeks flush. She couldn’t… there was no way. She wasn’t ready to dance with him again, especially not since she found out the truth.

Adrien’s cheeks were tinted a slight pink as he gave a small nod and headed into the changing area. When he was gone, Lila made her way to the woman in the office and Marinette walked through the room, hoping to seem natural, like she was preparing to take position, as she tried to listen.

“Madame Bustier, whilst Marinette does have some talent, it would make more sense to pair Adrien with the best in the class, no?” Lila was trying to reason.

“You’re exactly right, Mademoiselle Rossi, that’s why I put him with Marinette.”

“B-but, she’s so clumsy! I’m clearly the most graceful and talented out of everyone here,” Lila struggled to keep her calm.

Part of Marinette felt a little bad for the girl, she had Adrien taken from her more than once now – first at the competition and then now; however, Marinette also knew that Lila was not the delicate flower she pretended to be sometimes and managed to push down any sympathy for her.

“Lila, I made my decision. Who knows, perhaps you’ll learn something new with Marinette’s regular partner, Sean.” Madame Bustier placated as she fiddled with the stereo.

Marinette turned to look at Sean who was warming up with some of the other guys in the class now, seemingly unperturbed by the changes of the day. If he could deal with Lila professionally, then surely Marinette could get a grip and dance like a professional with Adrien Ag-

“Hey Mari,” the voice broke her thoughts and she jumped a little as the boy in her mind tapped her on the shoulder. “Looks like we’ve been partnered together,” Adrien smiled.

“Y-yeah. I should warn you though, the Cha-Cha isn’t really my strong suit.”

“Oh the Cha-Cha, the rhythm is easy, just,” he stepped forwards and backwards, feet tapping to an imaginary beat.

“That’s it,” Marinette swallowed. “I really hope I don’t step on your feet,” she thought aloud.

“Mari, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just follow your instincts,” Adrien replied and Marinette blinked in surprise as he winked at her.

Marinette felt her heart kick up a little as she couldn’t deny the way that wink reminded her of his alter ego. Was he trying to tell her, indirectly, about his identity? Had their last week together changed the way he was thinking of her?

She shut the hopeful thought down. It didn’t matter, he was engaged to Chloé _and_ he was a _prince_! There was just no way she would ever have a shot with him, and fate was just being twisted and cruel as it kept pushing them together.

“Marinette?” Adrien asked, his features now concerned. She opened her mouth to reply but Madame Bustier called the class to attention.

“Now, we’re going to walk through what we learnt last week. Remember to keep your hips and legs a little more relaxed to help accommodate the steps, we don’t need any more injuries,” the woman added and Marinette felt her cheeks flush even though the injury had nothing to do with her.

“Find your partners and take positions please,” the instructor called and Marinette mentally shook herself. Yes, she was dancing with Adrien, but not only had she done it before, apparently, she had grown quite used to dancing with him.

She just had to imagine she was dancing with Chat Noir, she reasoned as she took position with him. It wasn’t until she took his hand and met his eyes that the realisation fully hit her.

Adrien _was_ Chat Noir.

Marinette wasn’t sure where the surprise came from. She knew, she had accepted it, hadn’t she? Of course Alya’s confession had been a surprise, but Marinette had spent a lot of time thinking about it, and the similarities in the stories the boys had told her, and even their appearance, made very compelling arguments. She thought she was okay with it, but now they were dancing together, as themselves it just felt… weird.

“Marinette, do actually teach your partner what he’s been missing instead of keeping it simple,” Madame Bustier said quietly as she passed them and Marinette faltered in her step.

Where had the music come from? How long had it been playing? Had she and Adrien started moving automatically? Had he been leading her so naturally she hadn’t noticed?

His green eyes were expectant, ready to learn and she straightened her back, pretending the two of them were wearing their masks.

“Okay, so we’re during the next rock-step, we change to an underhand grip and then as we step through, facing the mirrored wall, we follow through and continue,” she explained.

Adrien nodded and on their next count, his fingers slid from her hand, holding it the way Chat had many times before but with all the grace of the sport; on the next count, he turned her out to the right, and brought her back, lifting his arm and gesturing for the underarm turn to close the step.

Marinette followed the counts and raised an eyebrow at him once they had closed the step and began again.

“I, er, like the cha-cha,” Adrien stuttered, cheeks colouring slightly and Marinette had to supress a blush of her own. “It’s kind of instinctual. I think it’s fun,” he added quietly with a smile.


	5. Plans and Assistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets some bad news and Adrien gets a phone call

Marinette gave Adrien a small smile as they completed working through _chasses_. As expected of both Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir, he had picked up all the basics rather quickly and the _chasses_ hadn’t taken long to learn either.

Shortly after they had caught back up to the lesson, Madame Bustier called it a day, praising their work in particular.

“ _Bien joué,_ Marinette and Adrien. It’s good to see that my words reached you. I want you two paired together for the rest of this semester,” she nodded satisfactorily and Marinette felt her heart jump in her chest as she heard Lila growl behind her.

“Madame Bustier, Adrien is my partner though.”

“Lila you could learn a thing or two from dancing with other partners, it’s good to keep your skills ever evolving,” the woman explained and the girl huffed in annoyance.

“Looks like we’re going to be dancing together for a while,” Adrien said, regaining Marinette’s attention. His eyes were warm but something in his tone sounded almost… shy.

“Is that okay?” Marinette asked, ignoring the way her heart sped up at the thought of dancing with him almost every day. It wasn’t just Adrien, she would be dancing with Chat Noir, the boy who had charmed her in more ways than one.

“O-of course! I’d be honoured to dance with you,” he said hurriedly, eyes now wide. “I-I mean, you’re just really talented, it’d be great to dance with you all the time.”

Marinette fought the blush on her cheeks. Seeing Adrien so awkward around her made her nervous, it was different when she was the stuttering wreck, now they both were.

“It’ll be good practice,” she said, putting on a smile and ignoring the burning in her cheeks and ears.

“Marinette, you’re phone!” Alya called from the change room and Marinette scurried to the cubicle, taking the phone from her friend and rushing to the far corner of the studio.

“Bonjour, Marinette Dupain-Cheng speaking.”

“Marinette, I know it’s your night off, but can you come in?” a strained voice asked.

“Spencer? Is everything okay?” Marinette felt her stomach clench at their tone. Spencer was the other designer who had gotten the internship. Since they shared the opportunity, the weeks work was split between them.

“New orders have come through from Gabriel Agreste and everything is getting scrapped.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I know, right? It’s so crazy here, we need you, please,” they begged.

“Uh, sure, I’ll be there in half an hour,” Marinette hung up the phone, very aware of the tightness in her chest and the pain as she gritted her teeth.

“Everything okay?”

“Sean!” Marinette jumped at the soft touch on her shoulder. “Uh, yeah, well, no actually. Apparently, somethings happened at Agreste and I need to go in.”

“They really need you? Marinette you need to look after yourself, you can’t burn the candle at both ends,” he frowned, looking her up and down.

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m doing fine,” she replied crossing her arms. “This is my dream, you know how much I want to be a designer.”

“But Marinette,” he began but she shook her head and brushed his hand from her arm.

“I’ll be okay, besides, it’s not like I have Ladybug and Chat Noir to worry about now anyway,” she smiled at him, unclenching her jaw. “I’ll see you later.”

Marinette ducked back into her cubicle, relieved Alya wasn’t there, and changed her clothes before pulling on her boots and grabbing her bag. As she zipped out again, she tripped over someone’s bag and stumbled, catching herself and shaking her head at her ridiculous luck.

“Marinette, there you are!” Adrien grinned as she left the studio, hurrying towards her exit of the campus.

“Adrien, sorry, I can’t stop, I have to get to work. Apparently there is an emergency or something.”

“Wait, work? As in my… as in Agreste? We can give you a lift,” he offered.

“O-oh,” she faltered. Right, Adrien’s father’s company.

“It’s no trouble, really,” he added, voice hopeful; as if that was what she was worried about.

Marinette thought about who she worked for, knowing his relationship with his son – the very boy in front of her and the same boy who encouraged her to take the opportunity – and considered how it would look getting a ride to Agreste with him. Then she thought about the possible disaster of being left behind in the new plans and it shook her out of her indecision.

“I would really appreciate it,” she said, realising it had been a little too long since she spoke.

“Great, come on.” He grabbed her wrist and lead her out to the carpark where Gideon was waiting for them.

“Miss Marinette, a pleasure to see you again,” the driver said simply as they both climbed in the back. She felt a slight blush as she thought of the last time he’d seen her, sending her up into Adrien’s building with something akin to approval.

“Nice to see you too,” she nodded.

“She needs a ride to Agreste, Gideon. She’s interning with my father and I’d hate for her to be late,” Adrien explained and Gideon nodded before the car lurched to life.

“Thank you,” Marinette said simply after a moment.

“It’s fine,” Adrien smiled at her. “You said it was an emergency?”

“O-oh, yeah. Spencer, the other designer who got the internship, called and apparently your father has scrapped almost everything and given new orders for the spring line.”

“What? But the line was due to be released next month,” Adrien exclaimed. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

“Well I don’t know what to tell you, that’s what Spencer said,” Marinette sighed. “I’ll probably be removing stiches and cutting new patterns all night.”

“Marinette, I-” Adrien began but Marinette cut him off.

“I know, I know, I shouldn’t keep burning the candle at both ends, or whatever, but I’m not. This is something I really want to do with my life, and dreams demand sacrifice; and honestly, if it wasn’t for you I probably wouldn’t have even taken this chance, but here we are.”

“Wait what?” Adrien paled, looking up from his phone.

“Huh?”

“If it wasn’t for me?” he echoed and Marinette also blanched.

“Y-yeah, well, you and Chat Noir, I mean. You’re such a good friend, very supportive and Chat pointed out to me that I shouldn’t let my concern for you hold me back from my dreams and I thought hard about it and realised it was probably something you’d say too. I mean, I know your relationship with your father is difficult at best, but I know how much your friends matter to you and you’ve been nothing but supportive of my work and-” she trailed off, hoping the blabbering had covered her slip up.

This was not the time to tell him she knew the truth, if there ever was a time.

“R-right. Well, I was just going to say that I could ask Nathalie and make sure you’re not going to be wasting your time,” he gestured to the phone in his hand but his eyes were still a little glazed.

“O-oh,” her cheeks stung as the blood rushed to her cheeks faster than ever. “Th-that would be nice, thank you.”

Adrien gave a dazed nod and looked back at his phone, Marinette staring out the window as she furiously hoped she hadn’t ruined their friendship.

What was she doing, going around opening her big mouth like that. She had no right to tell him she knew, especially when they were going to reveal their identities to each other when the time was right.

“Nathalie says the only changes my father made were mostly to the final ensembles but also to add one design. It seems something new piqued his muse,” the boy gave a small grin before turning his phone to her.

The design was rather elegant, for a two piece ensemble – the black cropped sleeveless shirt was form fitting and very sharp but the star of the design was the wrap-around fitted pencil skirt, a deep blood red with a fine polka dot print along the front piece.

Marinette felt her eyes widen. “No way, you don’t think it was inspired by Ladybug do you? No way, your father is a brilliant designer with many unique ideas, I’m sure he just thought that red and black polka dots would be on trend this season,” she shook her head.

“Marinette, I think you forget you and I _both_ know the collection. The colours for Spring this year are purples, teals and cool blues. He has no reason to be bringing in a single red item, unless he knows the curb appeal will reach a very specific demographic,” Adrien explained, his tone somewhat akin to the tone hers took when she spoke about ballroom.

“I...” Marinette faltered and the car pulled to a stop. Outside, the large building loomed over them.

“Look, just promise me you won’t go rushing in and trying to fix everything that might be broken, just because the other intern said so. Take a breath, read the notes, check with other designers and triple check your instructions on the tablet. I swear Nathalie would never forget to update them with any jobs you need to do. Stick to what’s on your list okay?” He reached out and squeezed her hand for a moment before letting her go with a smile.

“You can do this.”

Her chest warmed and she couldn’t fight the smile that tugged at her lips. She really did have the best partner, he was always looking out for her.

“I’ll see you around,” Marinette offered, careful not to slip up again and gave a quick thank you to Gideon before stepping out of the car, dance bag over her shoulder and phone clutched tightly in her other hand. Adrien was right, she needed to go in with a clear head. She couldn’t let one panicked phone call throw her off her game; especially if this was where she wanted to work one day.

With a nod, she stepped forward and pushed open the doors, ready to face her workload.

 

~~~~~

 

Adrien wondered why the other intern would try to stress Marinette out over some minor changes to the final products, but he didn’t wonder for too long. If it was some kind of sabotage, he knew just how well Marinette could come through a challenge if she kept a level head.

He shot Nathalie a thank you message, explaining that Marinette had been worried she’d missed something important and he wanted to put her mind at ease. He added a casual catch up, hoping Nathalie would fill him in on whatever had been keeping her overworked, and thanked her again before sending the email.

“Have you given any more thought to what we said before you left?”

“About telling her the truth?” Adrien asked and the driver nodded.

“I mean, I guess, but I’m only just back. We’re going for lunch tomorrow and it’s still too early. We’ve been getting so close, I’d hate to scare her off or something,” he explained.

Besides, he thought to himself, he still wasn’t sure why she had felt she couldn’t trust him with her secret when he had told her his. Something still didn’t add up, and whilst his feelings for her threatened to overwhelm him whenever he was near her, he had to keep blocking them from escaping too much until he knew the truth.

As he arrived at his building, he thanked Gideon and made his way to his apartment, relieved to find no one standing in front of his door. He slipped in and locked it behind him, but when familiar meowing didn’t reach his ears, Adrien turned to see Chloé sitting on his couch, waiting for him.

“Chloé? How did you get in?”

“Your father gave me a key,” she explained. “Well, Nathalie did technically, but it was at your fathers request. It’s good to see you’re back though,” she put on a smile and for a moment, she didn’t seem fully herself.

“Is… is everything okay?”

“What do you mean? Can’t I be happy to finally see my fiancé?”

“Chloé,” he sighed, noting the way her cheek twitched. Something had happened with her mother more than likely. “Do you want a cup of coffee or something?”

“I’d appreciate it,” she nodded before quietly following him into the next room.

“Your mother’s back, huh?” he asked as he busied himself making drinks. Direct eye contact wouldn’t help either of them in this conversation.

“Oh, y-yeah,” she let out a breath as she conceded. “She’s fussing about the wedding and how it’s going to make her and my father look.”

“She’s probably already got your dress, huh?” he tried to keep his tone light but it wasn’t stable.

“I guess. Honestly, I was hoping to take Sabrina and some other girls to shop for dresses with me but knowing her, I’ll be stuffed into whatever she wants.”

“You can still go out with Sabrina and try some on,” Adrien reasoned, passing a coffee to her and turning back away to make his own.

“I don’t know. I kind of just want it all to be over and done with already. We’ve got so much to be focusing on in Aslucia, I really think we’d do better off if we stayed over there.”

“You really settled in, didn’t you?” he gave a half smile as he turned and sipped his own drink.

“We’ve all got our roles, Adrien,” she shrugged.

“Sure, but what role do you _want_ to play?”

“Huh?”

“If you could do anything, Clo, what you choose?”

She stared at him for a moment before turning her attention to her coffee, hoping it had all the answers.

“I can’t afford think that way, and you really shouldn’t either. You’ll never make peace with our future if you do,” she took a burning sip.

“Just humour me.”

“Adrien, I-”

“Please?”

She looked at him and sighed before looking away again. “I always thought acting might be something I’d be able to put my energy into. I thought it’d be a good way to get the money, fame and recognition I deserved, being the daughter of the Mayor of Paris and a high-ranking fashionista. But that week in Aslucia really kind of… changed my perspective. You could do a look of good over there, you could make a lot of people, a lot of lives, a lot better,” she explained, running a hand through her slick low pony tail.

It was only now he realised how modestly she was dressed. She wore a simple yellow sweater and white jeans with a thin gold chain around her neck. Even her make up was minimal, leaving Chloé to look rather pretty in a natural state.

“I think acting would suit you perfectly; plus, you could do a lot of good as an actress,” Adrien shrugged, voice soft. “You could make a lot of money, sure, but it’s what you do with it that matters. You could help so many people in Paris, children, families, whoever you wanted.”

“It doesn’t matter, we have our parts to play. I just… wanted to check in and make sure you got back okay. You went to see those who really matter to you, so I decided to do the same,” she added grimly before setting down her half-finished drink and sliding off the stool.

Adrien felt his stomach shrivel in guilt as she began to leave the room. “I was going to message you, I just-”

“There’s no need to lie, Adrien. I know you think you’re trying not to hurt my feelings but it’s only making it worse. I’ll see you Monday, maybe,” she added before leaving his field of vision. Adrien couldn’t bring himself to move as he heard her pull on her coat and leave; the door shutting quietly behind her – the complete opposite of the typical Chloé dramatics he had come to expect.

He set his own cup down and pressed his palms into his eyes before running his fingers through his hair. If he wasn’t careful he wasn’t going to just lose his life here, but completely destroy his friendship with the person who understood the level of pressure on him.

He was going to have to try and make time for her, somehow, before his birthday. They needed to talk properly, not the broken half arguments they had whenever they were in the same room.

Plagg came skulking in a few moments later, meowing and demanding his evening meal. Adrien gave his companion his regular meal, grimacing at foul smell of cheese from the bowl as he put it down. He gave Plagg a brief scratch before the cat shook him off and began wolfing down the contents.

With a sigh Adrien made his way to his computer desk, switching it on and waiting for the boot up when he heard his phone ringing. It seemed he couldn’t get a moment of peace.

“Hello, this is Adrien Agreste speaking.”

“Adrien, wonderful, it’s Madame Bustier here; how are you?”

“Er, I’m good thank you. And you?”

“I have some excellent news. Dancing with Paris, the new dancing showcase that will be broadcast on television, has requested that Ladybug and Chat Noir appear for regular routines on the show!”

“What?”

“Of course, I understand both you and Ladybug have such busy schedules, what with the end of the year approaching and whatnot, so I explained that dancing weekly might be too much of a strain on you both,” the woman explained.

“No kidding,” Adrien muttered but the woman continued.

“So they managed to compromise with two performances. One in a weeks time, and the other six weeks after that. The premiere and finale. How does that sound?”

“In a week?” Adrien echoed.

“Yes, one week. The producers really want you on the show and can work practice around your schedules, you can train with Ladybug during the regular Tuesday and Thursday classes, and I can give you both passes during the standard ballroom classes I teach for the week before both performances.”

“I…” Adrien looked at his desktop, the Ladyblog opening automatically, displaying the photo of Chat Noir and Ladybug at the tango competition. He and Marinette would still be dancing together, closer than they could be in regular class, and it might even give him a chance to tell her the truth.


	6. Contractual Obligations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir takes a peice of freedom for himself and Ladybug and Chat Noir discuss the conditions of their newest recital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to keep you waiting this long I'm so sorry!

“What has Ladybug said?” Adrien asked after thinking for a moment.

“She’s got a lot on her plate at the moment, honestly I was afraid to ask her in case she said yes,” Madame Bustier sounded as if she was frowning. Of course she would be worried about Marinette over-working herself, especially if she was also working as intern. Maybe he could pull some strings at Agreste…

“And Marinette? Will she be making our costumes? Because I’d be worried about her overworking herself with her internship as well,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant. “I might be able to arrange something with my father though, if that would be beneficial.”

“I highly doubt she would be too happy about it, but I do think it would benefit her, even if she didn’t create the costumes, just designed them. I could have someone make them for her so she could focus a little more on her other studies,” the woman thought aloud.

“Sure. I’ll see what I can do,” he said, shifting in his seat. “And as for dancing, as long as Ladybug can do it without exhausting herself, I’m sure I can do the same.”

“I’m worried you might have to train harder than her in some aspects. I don’t know what genre they’ll give you both, Ladybug might know it better than you.”

“Ladybug will definitely know more than I do, but that’s okay; that’s why you partnered me with her, right?” he smiled, thinking of earlier in the day.

“Of course,” Madame Bustier muttered, no doubt thinking along similar lines.

“When’s the meeting with the producers?” Adrien asked, starting to think more professionally.

“Tomorrow at ten, is that okay?”

“I’ll be there. In the meantime, can you have them send you a copy of the contract to send me so I can have my lawyer look over it?”

“Of course. Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow. _Au revoir_.”

“See you tomorrow,” Adrien replied before hanging up. He inhaled and let out his breath slowly.

Did he really just agree to be televised just to be able to dance with Marinette again? He really was caught by her, he thought. With a small shake of his head, Adrien began the process of locating a decent lawyer that could represent him as Chat Noir. Of course, his father had a whole team of them at his disposal, but Chat Noir was a secret identity and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

It didn’t take long to find a reliable and affordable lawyer, not that money was an issue for him, but it would be nice to not have to go too far into his savings. He sent them an email from his alternate email address, explaining that he was a performer who had an identity to keep secret and he needed a confidential and reliable service to assist him.

Once that was sent he slumped back in his chair, scrolling through the Ladyblog despite nothing new – Alya’s new project was still being kept under wraps – and eventually scrolled through social media until his attention moved to Marinette.

How was she going? Had she managed to help the other designer? His eyes shot to the time in the corner of his screen. It had been a couple of hours, it couldn’t hurt to message, right?

**Hey Mari, how did the work thing go?**

He checked to make sure he was logged into the right account before pressing send and then put his phone down. He stared at it for a few more minutes, waiting for it to light up with a response, but after five minutes the screen was still dull.

With a sigh, he pushed himself from the chair and made his way to the kitchen to find something to eat. After settling on a frozen meal and putting it in the microwave, he stood in his kitchen, staring at the wall.

What else could he do now? Knowing he had a time limit in this place made him restless. He wanted to go out and live life like he was dying but nothing ‘crazy’ came to mind. Instead of living with reckless abandon, he was standing in his kitchen, waiting for his microwave meal to finish.

In Aslucia, when he felt this restless, he would sneak out, get on his motorcycle and drive…

The crazy idea lit up in his mind and he made his way to his computer, scouring local dealerships until he found what he was looking for.

By the time his meal was heated, he had arranged to spend a large amount of his savings the next morning and applied for an upgrade on his license. Adrien shut down his computer after that, got his meal from the kitchen and sat on the couch in his living room, turning on some anime that was left in the DVD player and settling in for the evening; feeling much more positive about the weeks to come.

 

By nine-thirty the next morning, Adrien had removed a large amount of money from his account and met with the seller he had spoken with the night before. He had made sure to leave the house with his mask and explained to Gideon that he had some errands to run as Chat Noir and would call him later when he was finished.

The driver had seemed less than impressed but conceded with a meaningful look before dropping Adrien off at the bank. Now here he was, mask on, discussing the terms of buying with the seller.

“As you can see, it’s like new,” the woman explained.

“The mileage seems a little high,” Adrien noted as he observed the dashboard.

“Well, I mean, it is second-hand, but it’s great vale for money, especially for riding around town.”

“How does it do on longer rides?” Adrien asked as he swung a leg over the seat and straddled the bike. As he leaned forward, placing his hands on the handlebars, he felt something dig into his thigh and sat up abruptly.

“Won’t do, I’m afraid,” he said, cutting off the woman’s pitch about the bike being able to fair for long rides. “Seat’s not comfortable. Look, I don’t have a lot of time and I’m willing to pay outright, is there anything better suited to my needs?” he asked, giving the woman a meaningful look.

She swallowed hard before excusing herself, offering to get one of her colleagues to help her. Adrien looked at the time on his phone. He needed to be at the studio by ten. Thankfully the lawyer he had gotten in touch with had agreed to meet him there, promising discretion and quality.

A man came out in the same uniform as the woman, a red blazer and black pants.

“So, you’re having trouble finding something you like?” the man asked cheerfully.

“I know what I want, I just haven’t been shown anything that matches my needs,” Adrien replied carefully, wary of the way the man was eyeing him.

“Well, to be honest, what you want might not be within your price range, sir. How about you settle for a basic 125cc for now and in a few years you can-” Adrien cut the man off by pulling a roll of money from his pocket.

“Like I said, I’m in a bit of a rush. Money isn’t an issue, I know some good people; so if you could kindly help me out,” Adrien raised an eyebrow, glad for the mask. Of course, the employees probably thought he was awfully suspicious with his mask and wad of cash, but this was Chat Noir, not Adrien. He didn’t have a reputation to protect.

“O-of course. Marie, please show this gentleman our new merchandise. I’m sorry, sir, it’s just, you don’t look…”

“I get it, I’m a kid in a mask who wants a motorcycle, but really, you should be more careful of who you underestimate. I know some very influential people and I’d hate for things to not work out between us,” Adrien said nonchalantly. He wasn’t trying to threaten the man, but he could tell the man was a little concerned as he followed the female employee to the newer bikes.

As he stepped into the showroom, he saw a variety of bikes, new models with colours of paint so vivid he had to take a moment before his eye caught one in the back, solid black and shining too brightly, it was like it was blinking at him.

Adrien straddled the bike and leant forward, noting how comfortable and nearly familiar the position felt before nodding.

“I’ll take this one.”

 

~~~~~

 

Marinette was nervous, it was nearly ten and Chat Noir wasn’t at the studio yet. She was sitting at a small table Madame Bustier had set up with several chairs. Two producers from Dancing with Paris sat on one side, Madame Bustier at one end and a man in a suit who said he was Chat Noir’s attorney at the other; leaving the two chairs across from the producers for Ladybug and Chat Noir and his seat was empty.

She hoped Adrien was okay. He’d messaged her last night but she had gotten so caught up at the Agreste company that she hadn’t seen it until later. Madame Bustier hadn’t called her until that morning, explaining the opportunity. When Marinette had hesitated, Madame Bustier mentioned that Chat Noir had already said he was interested and without a chance to second guess herself she had said yes.

Now that chance had presented herself. Was this really a good idea? First of all, she knew Adrien would be busy with his own studies as well as whatever curveballs his father was going to throw at him in the next few months. And second of all...

The sound of an engine brought her out of her thoughts and a few moments after it was cut, a boy with a black mask and an exhilarated smile traipsed into the studio.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said brightly. “Had some errands to run. Monsieur Laurent, thank you for meeting me here. I trust you found the terms of employment acceptable?” Chat asked as he sat beside Ladybug.

“Yes, but I do believe we should discuss that after this meeting,” the lawyer nodded as he opened his briefcase and pulled out a pen and notepad. Marinette wondered if the lawyer was one of the Agreste’s attorneys but her attention was drawn to Chat as he began the conversation.

“Alright then. Hi, I’m Chat Noir, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the boy said, extending an arm to both producers across the table. “So you want Ladybug and I to guest star on your show?”

“Well, ideally we’d want you full time,” the man said. “I’m Earnest Carrell and I’m sure you know my partner on this project, Nadja Chamack,” he gestured to the red-haired woman beside him who tugged her scarf out of her face. Marinette gave a smile and nod to the woman, recalling how she used to babysit her daughter a few years ago.

“Nadja Chumack, it’s good to see you. Hows-” Marinette stopped herself. She couldn’t ask about her daughter, at least not as Ladybug. “-the career? Last I heard you were working to get promoted, now you’ve got your own show, that must be exciting,” she forced herself to finish.

“It’s a lot of work, but very rewarding,” the woman replied, tilting her head slightly as if she recognised her but not sure how. Marinette looked at her lap.

“Like I said yesterday, Ladybug and Chat Noir have their studies and perspective careers to focus on. Dancing is an extra-curricular for them and I wouldn’t want to take away from their dreams,” Madame Bustier explained, taking the reins.

“Of course, but with their talent, it would greatly improve the showcase and ratings,” Nadja explained.

“I understand that, but these are two very talented young people. Whilst they are talented in Ballroom, they have other talents that define them,” their instructor countered.

“Well, sure but this could open up more avenues for them, career wise.”

“We’re deeply flattered, Madame Chamack, but Ladybug and I agree with Madame Bustier. Full time on your show, whilst it would be an adventure, would be very taxing for us. We have our futures to think about,” Chat said smoothly, casually resting his arm on the back of Marinette’s chair.

“Very well, if you’re sure you won’t budge from two performances, here’s the contract,” Earnest sighed, pulling the documents from his own briefcase. “These are standard talent release forms, consent to filming, etcetera, etcetera. If you could just sign these, we can get you assigned a dance genre and coach.”

“Coach?” Marinette asked as the man slid the forms over to them both.

“Yes, we assign performers choreographers to work with them for their appearances.” As Earnest explained, Marinette noticed both contracts being slid towards the lawyer who began reading them very carefully.

“Can’t we just work with Madame Bustier like we always do?” Marinette asked, her heart racing a little at the thought of not having her instructor to guide her. Her eyes flickered to Chat Noir beside her, muttering to the lawyer.

“I’m afraid not, Ladybug. It’s all part of the show’s conditions. This helps ensure everyone is receiving the same quality of training. Some of our choreographers have come from all parts of the world, all of high-quality ability,” Nadja explained.

“Before my clients sign these, they have a few requests to be added,” the lawyer explained and Marinette shot Chat a look of surprise.

“They’re both your clients?” Nadja asked in shock.

“Of course. You don’t think one would have with an attorney and one without, do you?”

“I suppose you’re right,” the woman said quietly before shrinking in her seat a little.

“What are your terms?” Earnest asked.

“Ladybug and I are who we are for a reason. We will attend all training and performances with our masks, but we do not permit for any filming anywhere that we might be granted privacy. This includes bathrooms and change rooms and any moments we may wish to be alone,” Chat began and the man across from him nodded slowly.

“Also, for that reason we will not sign anything with our legal names, however, you can rest assured that as long as we sign with the attorney and Madame Bustier as a witness, we will honour the agreement.”

“How can we trust that? If you don’t sign with your legal names there is nothing to stop you suing us!”

“Hence the presence of witnesses, one of which knows our identities and another to protect _all_ our legal rights. Madame Bustier can co-sign the contracts with us as validation of our identity.”

“Fine,” Earnest sighed. “Anything else?”

Chat looked at Ladybug, waiting for her to say something. Put on the spot Marinette stuttered for a moment.

“O-oh, er, I want to reserve the right to consult Madame Bustier on our choreography and routines. I have worked with her for many years; I trust her and would feel most comfortable knowing she had a say in what we performed.”

“But we just’” Nadja began but Earnest held up his hand to silence her.

“You two really came prepared, didn’t you?” he asked leaning forward a little.

“We just want to make sure this agreement works both ways,” Chat replied, arm still resting casually against the back of Marinette’s chair.

“Very well,” the man said after a moment of looking at both dancers. “If that is all, I can have new contracts drawn up this afternoon.”

“Wait,” Marinette called, biting her lip as they looked at her. “I want to request that Marinette Dupain-Cheng be our costume designer. She won’t make the costumes, we trust your people to do that, but we have worked closely with her in the past and I’d feel… like I’m betraying her by not letting her do this.”

“We don’t take requests,” Earnest began but this time Nadja cut him off.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Yes, Madame. She has become quite a good friend to us; and if you don’t want to take requests then it’s it a definite condition of my contract.”

The producers looked at each other for a moment and Marinette shot a side look at Chat who just shot her confident smile.

“You kids are smart, I’ll give you that,” the man said, looked back at the two dancers and adjusting his jacket. “But what makes you think we aren’t just going to dismiss your requests and find some other dancers to replace you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Marinette felt Chat Noir shift to answer but she beat him to it.

“Because you came to us, Monsieur Carrell. You wanted us full time but since our schedules are too full, you’ve happily taken what you could get of us. I think a few simple requests regarding our privacy and preferences really aren’t too much for us to be asking. If you wanted to find other dancers to replace us, you would have; but I’d wager our good friend Ayla Césarie and her blog documenting our dancing escapades would work well for publicity for your show.”

“Now wait just a minute,” Nadja began but Marinette shook her head.

“Oh I’m not judging you. I think it’s quite a smart idea to be honest with you, but surely you expected some sort of conditions coming to us. You agreed to our first few requests with no resistance. Unfortunately for you, we know what our time and talent is worth, and we aren’t keen on letting others take advantage of us.”

Her heart was racing in her chest at the silence that followed. The producers stared at her and her partner before turning to each other. A moment later they excused themselves and walked to the other end of the room to discuss something quietly.

“Breathe, Ladybug. You did really well,” Madame Bustier took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

“I agree, you handled that quite professionally,” the lawyer nodded, looking over the contracts again.

She felt Chat’s hand rub small comforting circles into her back as he shifted to sit up straighter. Before he could say something, the producers returned to the table.


	7. Lunch date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Chat get some time together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have two updates!

“You certainly know what you want, don’t you?” Earnest Carrell asked, eyeing the dancers.

“Like I said, we want a mutually beneficial agreement,” Chat shrugged.

“Well, having you with your own choreography consultant and designer does make things a little easier on us; not that that means you will be treated with any less than the other contestants. And the fact that this Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng comes highly recommended from my co-producer as well, also works in your favour. Are they your final conditions?”

“Our privacy concerns also?”

“Yes, of course. You will be permitted your areas of privacy just like all the other dancers, but also no-one will force you to reveal yourselves or pressure you at any time to remove your masks. And, as long as your Instructor is willing to co-sign and take equal responsibility in the contracts, you both may sign with your stage names with the lawyer present.”

“Good,” Chat Noir nodded. “When will the new contracts be drawn up?”

“By this afternoon. We have a few other dancers to meet with. We will be in contact when they are ready and we can all return to have you to look over and sign them.”

“Thank you,” Ladybug said, standing with the producers. She reached out and shook their hands, Chat Noir following suit.

“We’ll see you later,” the producers nodded before leaving. Once the studio doors had swung shut Marinette let out a breath.

“I didn’t realise agreeing to appear on TV required so much work.”

“Yeah, that’s just the way of the industry, I’m afraid,” Chat shrugged before he hesitated. “I mean, at least that’s what I’ve heard.”

Marinette just nodded, letting his minor slip slide through. Of course, Adrien would know the finer points of contracts and talent releases and whatever else. That was probably why he brought his lawyer along.

“Thank you again for agreeing to my terms, Monsieur Laurent,” he was saying to lawyer, shaking the man’s hand.

“That’s quite alright, Monsieur Noir, Mademoiselle Ladybug,” he added, reaching out to shake her hand. Marinette shook it with a nod and thanks of her own.

“I shall contact you when they call back,” Chat promised the man. “Payment will be arranged shortly after that.”

“Very well. Until then, good day to you all,” the man said with a small bow to them all before leaving.

Once he had left, Madame Bustier went into her small office to make a cup of tea, leaving Chat Noir and Ladybug alone for the first time since the competition.

“It’s good to see you,” Marinette said quietly after a moment.

“You too, m’lady,” he smiled. “Sorry I was planning on being here earlier this morning but I got held up.”

“It was smart to bring your lawyer, I never would have thought about it.”

“Oh, I only hired him yesterday afternoon,” Chat shrugged as he jerked his thumb at the door.

“Oh right, identities and stuff,” Marinette nodded. “They’re really okay with that?”

“Yeah, as long as we’re not involved in any illegal activity, they agreed to represent us for the length of the contract.”

“Both of us?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about the money side of things. I’ve got it covered,” he added with a smile. Marinette fought a frown as she wondered how his father would react if he knew…

“You look really nice,” Chat added, cheeks tinting pink. “It’s good to see you again. My family trip was extended and, er, well I figured you were busy and didn’t want to worry you,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck.

“O-oh,” Marinette felt guilty for a moment. Ladybug hadn’t messaged Adrien, nor Chat Noir since he’d left. “I’m sorry I didn’t message you, I just got caught up. I, er, got a job so that’s been keeping me pretty busy.” She squeezed her hands tightly together before she remembered she was supposed to be leaving.

“Everything okay?” he asked, seeing the look on her face change to panic.

“Y-yeah, I just remembered I have to go. I’m so sorry,” she apologised, grabbing her bag from the floor.

“That’s okay. I’ll see you later anyway,” he added with a smile and Marinette’s heart nearly stopped for a moment.

“Oh, right. When we sign the contracts. Gotcha,” she hoped her smile wasn’t too shaky. “What are your plans for the day?”

“Ah, just meeting a friend for lunch. I should probably head off soon too,” Chat added as he began to head towards the door as well.

Both dancers called goodbyes to Madame Bustier before walking to the edge of campus. Marinette clutched her jacket a little tighter around herself, resolving to go home and change into something warmer before she met Chat Noir for lunch.

“You’ll have to tell me about your trip sometime,” Marinette said, hoping she sounded normal. The back of their hands brushed as they walked but she fought to keep her cool.

“And you’ll have to tell me about your job,” he added with a laugh.

“R-right,” she laughed with him. When they got to the corner, she gave him a nod. “This is me. I’ll see you later then.”

“Sure,” the boy replied, leaning forward and gently pecking her cheek. She felt warmth explode through her face from where his lips touched her. “See you,” he gave a small wave before trotting back off the way they had come, leaving Marinette’s face burning and her mind whirling.

 

Half an hour later, her phone chimed with a message from Chat Noir saying he was down stairs waiting for her. She had changed from her simple red shirt and black pants to a pair of jeans and a cream coloured t-shirt and instead of her black peacoat, she pulled on a thick black cardigan that was almost two sizes too big. She’d also swapped her earlier boots for something with a smaller heel and grabbed the black cat bag that had become a regular accessory for her. As she picked up her keys, tugged on a scarf and fixed her beret, she called goodbye to Tikki and left, locking her door and practically skipping down the stairs.

She was looking forward to spending time with Chat Noir. Whilst she knew he and Adrien were the same person, something inside of her knew there was a reason he had kept Chat Noir a secret, just like she had Ladybug.

Besides, a lunch date with Chat Noir made her much less anxious than the idea of eating out with Adrien Agreste, she thought as she pushed open the lobby door. The wind had settled down, the clouds in the sky had parted a little to let some sunshine through; and at the base of the lobby stairs, on the road, was a boy in a mask, leaning against a shining black motorcycle.

“Chat?”

“Hey Marinette,” he grinned at her before coming up and wrapping her in a warm embrace. He wore the same clothes from earlier, his bomber jacket and a green sweater with a pair of dark jeans and sneakers, but something about feeling them so suddenly threw her off for a moment.

“H-how are you?” she asked as she pulled away, fighting the blush that was beginning to tint her cheeks. She had a feeling she would be fighting it for most of their time together.

“Better now. How about you?”

His smile was infectious, she could feel her lips pulling upward as he looked at her. “I’m good thanks.” After a moment of staring she managed to get her mouth to work again. “Sh-shall we get going?”

“Of course, your chariot awaits, Princess,” he said with a small bow, gesturing to the motorbike.

“Chariot?”

“Er, how do you feel about motorcycles, Mari?”

“So, this is what you were doing this morning,” she muttered to herself.

“What?”

“N-nothing. Did you get it while you were away?” she asked, studying the vehicle. She took in the large luggage carriers around the back and its otherwise sleek design

“Uh, not really. I mean, I borrowed one while I was away; it was the only way to get some space from stuff, yknow? I guess I grew attached to the freedom because I bought it this morning.”

“Aren’t they dangerous?”

“I mean kinda, but what’s life without a little danger every now and then?” Chat asked with a smile.

“I guess…” she replied, as he held out a helmet to her.

“We don’t have to ride it if you don’t want to, I just thought it would be nice than having to take a taxi everywhere,” he gave a shy look and Marinette took a deep breath.

“You’re lucky I trust you, Kitty. No funny business though, okay?” she warned, taking the helmet and pulling it over her hair, glad she was already going to suffer hat hair anyway.

“I promise,” he swore solemnly before pulling on his own helmet and straddling the bike. Marinette followed suit, finding herself pressed against Chat’s back with no choice but to wrap her arms around him.

“Hey, I thought no funny business?” he joked as he repositioned himself.

“From you, _Minou_. I can do what I like,” she teased in reply as she squeezed her arms tighter around him. Chat stiffened a little, holding his breath before shaking himself and exhaling slowly.

“Good thing you’re holding on tight, Marinette,” he said and she could hear the smile in his voice before he slid his visor down and started the engine. A moment later they were flying down the street at a comfortable pace, Marinette watching the familiar streets of her hometown go past before they left, heading towards vineyards and empty roads where Chat began to pick up speed.

 

~~~~~

 

After about fifteen minutes of driving around, Adrien pulled down a small abandoned side road, slowing to let both him and his companion take in the sights and smells. They were at the back of where a couple of vineyard properties met, the old path once used for tractors and other farm machinery.

He slowly pulled to a stop by a large tree, thankful the sunshine had stayed to comfort them. As he killed the engine, he felt Marinette’s arms slowly loosen from his waist and tried not to think about her earlier words. He pulled off his helmet, glad that his mask was still in place and mussed his hair back up, worried that if it was flat, Marinette might see the similarities between himself and… well, himself.

Marinette was off the bike now and Adrien watched her remove her helmet, half expecting it to be as if she was in a hair commercial with slow mode; but instead the helmet brought her beret with it, leaving her hair starting to frizz and stick up around her head. Adrien bit his lip so as to not laugh as he watched the girl realise and frantically try to run her fingers through her hair and use her hat to flatten it back down, all the while her cheeks grew progressively pinker.

“What did you think?” he asked after giving her a moment to recompose herself.

“It’s… certainly fast,” she said, voice a little giddy.

“You handled it pretty well,” he added, unable to hide the awe in his tone.

“Oh, er, a friend of mine had one towards the end of high school. I only ever really rode Vespas but occasionally she’d take some people out for rides and stuff. It’s nice, though, isn’t it?” she added, looking out over the greenery. “I see why you like it, it is very freeing; and you aren’t trapped in a box.”

Adrien nodded, feeling a little transparent. He climbed off the bike as well and sat his helmet on the seat. He pulled the keys from the ignition and searched for the smallest one before unlocking the luggage compartment at the back. He pulled out a large bag and carefully sat it on the ground before tugging out a picnic rug and shutting and relocking the compartment. As he stuffed the keys into his pockets, he realised that Marinette was watching him.

“I brought lunch,” he smiled before holding out the rug for her to take. “Care to find us a nice spot?”

“A picnic huh? When you said lunch, I thought we’d be going to an indie café or something,” she laughed.

“Too many people,” he said simply, picking up the bag from his feet and following her. She stopped under the tree and opened the blanket, letting it flutter to the ground. Once it was settled, they both stepped on and sat down; Marinette stretching her legs out in front of her, Adrien crossing his legs in front of him.

He began to unpack the food he’d picked. It was all still in its packaging from the shops, nothing super fancy and a _lot_ of sweets. He’d also picked up a few sandwiches and some bottles of iced tea and water for them to choose from.

“I hope this is okay,” he added as he looked up. Marinette wasn’t looking at him, instead she was facing the horizon, eyes closed, letting the sunlight hit her face with a small smile tugging on her lips. She looked so peaceful, Adrien hated himself for speaking as it broke the mirage around her. She turned to him with the same serene smile and nodded.

“It’s perfect,” she said before blushing slightly and looking away from his face. “I-I mean, y-yeah, it’s perfect,” she tried to correct herself but ended up laughing uncomfortably.

He wasn’t sure what to say for a moment. She was right, the moment was pretty much perfect. They were here, together, in a secluded kind of romantic place for a picnic lunch. The only thing that stopped him from completely forgetting about the rest of the world was small piece of cloth on his face.

The thing that granted his freedom also limited him. He was able to be his true self but he wasn’t able to be completely truthful. He looked at the girl next to him and wondered what would happen if he told her the truth, right then and there.

“So, er, which sandwich is mine?” she asked, aware of his staring.

“Oh, whichever you want is fine. I really don’t mind.”

He couldn’t do it to her, he knew. He couldn’t just drop a bombshell on her, that the one she had trusted and been charmed by was the same one who made her tongue-tied and anxious. It wasn’t fair on her for starters, even if she was keeping her own secrets, but to tell her that he knew everything was too much, at least, for now it was.

She picked a sandwich and opened the packaging, Adrien ignored the other one and opened a white box to reveal a collection of pastries and brownies. She’d probably recognise the delicate golden logo on the lid of the box but that was okay. He pulled a brownie from the box and carefully took a bite.

“So, how’s the internship going?” He asked a moment of quiet eating. Maybe he should have brought a radio, he wondered.

“It’s keeping me busy,” she said after finishing her mouthful. “I got called in for an emergency last night which kept me up most of the night, but that’s the way it goes, I guess.”

“Wait really?”

“Yeah, the other intern who got in, we split the workload, working alternate days throughout the week; but it makes it really difficult when we get assigned projects. The other designer completely freaked out yesterday and called me, something major was being changed or something so I went in. Turns out there hadn’t been any changes to _my_ workload, but instead for the designer they are shadowing and the only reason the changes were being made was because the intern messed up. So after calming them down and getting them back on track, I had to like, fix everything they’d started doing in their panic,” she shook her head.

“What had they done?”

“They’d unpicked a bunch of nearly finished pieces, cut new patterns from fabrics we weren’t supposed to be using and whatnot. They really went off the rails a bit,” she added before taking another bite of her sandwich.

“So why were you fixing that stuff? You should have just told them to fix it on their own,” Adrien frowned and she shot him a dirty look right back.

“You really think I’m that kind of person? After everything you know about me?” she asked, covering her mouth as she spoke and raising and eyebrow at him.

“That’s true, I suppose,” he pondered before finishing his brownie. “You should at least tell the designer they were working with, I mean if there was a mistake, the intern needs to learn from it.”

“Even so, if I work like that I’ll never get anywhere. It’s important to be able to work with people. I don’t want people to think I get wherever I get because I throw others under the bus, even if they did mess up. Everyone deserves a chance,” she added, putting her sandwich on her knee and grabbing one of the water bottles.

“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone about _Dessinatuer_ for so long?” Adrien blinked, why had he asked that?

Marinette shot him a look but swallowed hard before taking a breath. “I guess so,” she said simply.

“You’re very noble, Marinette.”

“Noble?” she balked.

“Yeah, and humble, you don’t take as much credit as you deserve. It’s not about throwing someone under the bus, its about owning up to your own mistakes and getting called up on them so you can grow and learn.”

“What happened on your trip, Chat” she tilted her head.

“H-huh?”

“You just… it seems like there are some hidden meanings,” she shook her head gently. “Never mind, I’m probably thinking too hard about it all.”

“I… nothing happened, well apart from an unwanted extension. I guess I’m just really gonna miss being here when the time comes.”

“When you move,” she confirmed and he nodded.

“You, Ladybug, and all my other friends; you’ve all helped me grow. Whenever I mess up, someone’s there to help me and tell me what I did wrong, well most of the time,” he added with a laugh.

“That’s what friends are for, Chat,” Marinette reached out and held his hand.

“Yeah,” he breathed, looking from their hands to her face, forgetting the point he had. He shouldn’t have had one anyway, this was supposed to be about them; the proverbial ‘us’ that he wanted so much.

He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, feeling a little pride in the way Marinette’s cheeks flushed before she gently pulled away to take another drink of water.

“So, you’re glad to be back, huh?” she asked quietly.

“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Adrien replied.


	8. Comfort and Solace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Chat continue their lunch date

The rest of the afternoon went comfortably. Chat had Marinette laughing so hard her sides hurt and in return she had told him the few stories she had from her Christmas holidays. At some point they had shuffled closer to each other, Marinette resting a little in front of him, so her shoulder was on his chest, together as a cool breeze swirled around them, thankfully not enough to ruin their picnic.

Marinette reached for the pastry box, holding it up for Chat to take something before pulling out a Danish for herself and putting it down beside her. She recognised her own family’s baked goods; sure Chat Noir had chosen them on purpose.

“It’s wild about Nino and Alya, huh?” she asked after a moment silence. She felt him stiffen as she remembered she was talking to Chat Noir, not Adrien.

“Wh-what about them?” he asked, coughing on his bite of pastry.

“O-oh, right, I forget it’s not common knowledge,” she forced herself to stay calm, glad she was looking away from him. “Nino proposed to her on New Year’s Day. Apparently, he did in the back room at the club and Alya said no because his timing is awful,” she said quickly but unable to stop the small laugh at the mental image of her friend turning her boyfriend down.

“Oh really?”

“Oh, don’t tell her you know, okay? She’d be pretty mad at me if she found out I went and blabbed about it when she hasn’t put it out herself,” Marinette added, knowing exactly who she was asking.

“R-right. Though why would she want to put it out if she said no?” he asked.

“O-oh,” Marinette blinked. “R-right, that’s… yeah that was dumb of me.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Y-yeah, they’re still together and everything, just as happy as ever. They actually asked Adrien and I to help plan the re-proposal.”

“A re-proposal?” he laughed behind her.

“Well yeah,” Marinette gave a small laugh as well. “So they can do it right, I guess.”

“How do you feel about it all?”

His question took her by surprise. How did she feel that her two best friends were going to get married and live together and live happily ever after?

“Of course I’m happy for them. The chance to be a part of this defining moment in their lives is really… it’s really something.”

“Of course you’re happy for them, they’re your best friends, right?” he asked and she nodded. “Is something bothering you about it? Is it the fact you have to work with Adrien to plan it?”

Marinette felt her cheeks begin to flush as she thought of how close they would be over the next few months. Sure they both had responsibilities, she had her internship and he had to prepare for his role in Aslucia, but apart from that, they would be dancing together again – both with masks and without, and planning a special romantic day for their friends.

“N-no, no. Adrien… Adrien and I, we’re good. He’s good, I mean, we’re good friends,” she supressed the urge to press her palm into her face and just continued. “He knows Nino almost as well as I know Alya so having help is great, it’ll be perfect for both of them.”

“So what is it?” she could almost hear he was trying to supress a smile or something.

“I dunno, it’s kind of dumb, I guess.”

“Marinette, I’m kind of dumb, so I’m sure your idea isn’t that bad,” he teased, gently poking her.

“I just,” the smile from his action fell from her lips as she looked away, curling her knees closer to her. “I guess in a way I’m kind of jealous. Like, I am so happy for them, I always have been; but they’re gonna get married and have a family and a dog or a cat or a hamster and live happily ever after.”

“You don’t think you’ll get that?”

“I mean, I like to hope so, but realistically I’m in a different place in my life right now and that means things work differently. I know my parents got married in their twenties but I also know people whose parents never got married or stayed together and they’re all equally happy.” She sighed, shuffling a little away from Chat Noir.

“I just keep coming to the realisation that my life is never gonna work out the way I thought it would when I was fourteen and that… makes me kinda sad, is all.”

“I know what you mean,” he sighed. “I thought my life was gonna change when I started at University, and it has, in so many ways for good and bad. But I got to meet you, and Ladybug, and make some amazing friends and do some awesome things. Just because it doesn’t go how you thought it would, doesn’t mean it’s not gonna work out.”

He put his arm on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “It’s okay to be a little jealous, heck even I’m a little jealous; they sound like theyre getting everything they want together, and they’re lucky. But it also doesn’t mean you should stop thinking that your happiness is coming.”

“I guess you’re right,” Marinette said softly, looking up from her knees to meet his eyes. He had a soft smile and his hand was now rubbing gentle circles across her shoulder blades.

“Of course I am,” he grinned before his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the screen before letting out a small sigh. “That’s the lawyer,” he said.

“Lawyer?”

“O-oh right, Ladybug and I have been asked to appear on Dancing with Paris for the premiere and the finale. I hired us a lawyer to make sure the company won’t reveal our identities or anything. Ladybug also pushed for you to be our designer if that’s okay?” he asked.

“Your designer?” Marinette hoped she seemed the right amount of confused.

“Yeah. We want you to design our costumes for the performances.”

“Chat, I don’t-”

“We know you have your internship, which is why Ladybug suggested that you just design the outfits and the studio can have their people make them.”

“That’s… nice of her,” she said simply, unsure how else to reply.

“Do you not want to?” he asked, a glint of confusion in his eyes.

“N-no, I mean, y-yes. I do want to, I just.. I’m in a bit of a rut design wise at the moment. I haven’t drawn anything since just before the holiday season.”

“Well maybe knowing the genres we’ll be dancing will help inspire you. You know you can limit the colour palette to red and black for Ladybug and green and black for me. We both have our own shoes and stuff, so it’s just the ensembles. You’re surrounded by fabrics and all sorts of designers each day at Agreste, aren’t you? I’m sure that coupled with knowing the dance genre or music can spark something,” he smiled, squeezing her hand tightly.

Adrien really wanted her on board with their costumes, despite knowing the amount of work she was doing. She wondered what he’d say if he knew she was also Ladybug, would he think she’s taking too much on like Madame Bustier, or would he understand an encourage her to stick to her passions?

“That’s true, I never though about using work to inspire me. And knowing the genres and songs will also help. If I’m not making the costumes myself then it shouldn’t be that much of an issue.”

“And if you need help, I can take you on a drive to find some inspiration,” Chat added with a smile.

“Thanks, Chat,” Marinette smiled back at him, her heart feeling lighter with his support.

The two stared at each other for a moment, with soft expressions and warm eyes and Marinette felt that warmth inside her again. She was so comfortable with Chat Noir, why couldn’t it be like this with Adrien, she wondered.

Maybe it was the giant crush she’d harboured for years, a small voice in her head piped up and she fought the embarrassment that crawled in behind it. She’d moved past it, hadn’t she? Adrien was a prince, and he was engaged but Chat Noir… he was funny and charming and a bit of a dork, sure, but it was endearing; plus, Chat Noir wanted her, to be with her as Ladybug _and_ as Marinette.

The previous argument was still there, though. Chat Noir was Adrien which meant that Chat Noir was a prince and he was engaged to be married on his birthday. The thought was so soul crushing, Marinette felt her eyes threaten to burst into tears but she held them in.

She pulled away from him, the warm feeling dissipating from her stomach as she busied herself with packing up the food.

“So, er, what did the lawyer want?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t waver. She couldn’t let those thoughts get to her.

She could enjoy being with Chat Noir, Adrien, until the time came and he had to go, they just couldn’t be together. So what? They’d been hanging out for a month and it was all fine, they could do it again until his birthday, she just couldn’t let herself fall any harder for him. Easy, right?

“Oh, right,” Chat looked back at his phone. “Apparently the producers of the show have adjusted the contracts and will be meeting Ladybug and I back at the studio in an hour.”

“Right,” she nodded. “Well I should also head home and get to designing some costume ideas then.”

“Can we just,” Chat grabbed her hand. “Can we stay for a bit longer? Please?”

His pleading eyes tugged at her heart and she took a deep breath. “Fine, but no more than half an hour, alright?”

“Deal,” he grinned and the warm feeling was back in her stomach, flooding her chest and making her smile back at him.

 

~~~~

 

Adrien only had half an hour left with Marinette, just them away from society in their own happy little bubble. She shifted to move back into their previous position but Adrien shook his head.

“Can I rest my head in your lap?”

“H-huh?”

“Or you can rest your head in mine?”

“N-no, it’s okay.”

“Mari, please.”

“Oh fine, but I’m the one getting to rest,” she mumbled, despite the pink flush to her cheeks.

He happily shifted to she could lay comfortably before he pulled out his phone and searched for some music. If they were going to sit in relative silence, they needed some background music. Maybe one day they could have a song, Adrien thought wistfully as he set the phone back down, [music playing softly ](https://youtu.be/Ir2411Ma_-A)from the speaker.

He rested one hand in Marinette’s hair, gently running his fingers through the locks that weren’t under the beret; his other hand propped him up. Marinette was looking up past him, studying the sky as he saw the reflections in her eyes.

She was beautiful and he was so blissfully happy. If only the rest of his life could go as it had since she came into his life. He had a reasonable amount of freedom; good friends and he had been doing more enjoyable things. He’d rekindled his love of ballroom that he’d forgotten since his mother passed away, and found someone new to share that passion with. He’d developed a stronger relationship with Gideon who actually let him do things and kept them from his father to let him be a young adult.

He’d closed his eyes, he realised as he opened them, and Marinette was watching him, teeth tugging at her bottom lip, blue eyes wide and deep, as if some sadness had enveloped them while he was thinking of his happiness.

“Hey,” he whispered softly, taking his hand from the grass, dusting it off on his shirt and gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

“Hey,” she whispered simply, but the sad expression was still in her eyes despite the way she had steeled herself.

“I missed you, Princess.”

“I missed you too, _Minou_.”

“I won’t be away for that long again, I promise.”

“Don’t make promises like that, Chaton. We never know what’s going to happen, besides, you’re moving soon.”

So that was what was bothering her.

“I’d much rather stay in Paris.”

“But you can’t… can you.” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m going to try.”

Marinette sat up from his lap and turned to him, beret askew from where his fingers had moved it. “Chat, you can’t do that.”

“Why not? I don’t want to move; my life has really only just begun. I want a chance at life and love,” he protested.

“It’s not… it’s not worth ruining family ties over. You could be really happy starting fresh, maybe Chat Noir won’t need a mask where you’re going.”

It took everything he had not to tell her that Chat Noir would cease to exist outside of Paris, outside of her.

“I…I’m not that close to my family anyway. Some space would do more good than harm,” he settled on explaining.

“Yeah but… you don’t really wanna shackle yourself to one person and one plan, do you? You never know what’ll happen.”

“Are you for or against me going, because the argument you’re making is compelling me to stay,” he couldn’t help the small lopsided smile that broke free.

“N-no, I mean, y-yes, I mean… I just… I think you should be serious when you talk about what you’re going to do. Like you said before, our lives don’t go the way we think they will; maybe the move will be a good thing for you.”

“Okay Marinette,” he sighed, smile falling as he realised she was really trying to help him see the move in a positive light. He was sure her opinion would change if she knew the truth behind his identity, since she already knew where Adrien Agreste was going to be in a few short months.

“Anyway, guess we better get going,” Marinette said as she pulled herself up to her feet and arched her back in a stretch, her shirt lifting and revealing the bottom of her stomach. Adrien looked away, feeling like it was rude to stare, and focused on gathering up his phone, letting it continue to provide some ambiance.

They packed up the picnic with barely a word and before he knew it, everything was packed away neatly in the small compartment in his bike. _His_ bike. His proverbial middle finger to his father.

It wasn’t going to be the last, Adrien was sure, but for now, it felt like a statement; his bank account certainly thought so. He needed to do things for himself, things that made him happy.

“Marinette.”

“Huh, yeah?”

“Come here,” Adrien asked, holding out his hand for her. His phone in his pocket was still playing music and as she slipped her fingers over his, he pulled her close and wrapped his other arm around her before stepping to the [new song](https://youtu.be/4Fze0XQ6oUI). The hand he had taken was up by his lips and he gently pressed them against her fingers.

Marinette blushed but didn’t pull away, following his steps as they simply moved to the music. It reminded him of when they had danced in her living room before the competition. Of course, that was before he had feelings for her… well, before he _knew_ he had feelings for her _._ He wondered if she would feel differently about him if he told her the truth about his identity; he certainly didn’t feel any different towards her, though he was relieved that the two girls he had strong feelings for were the same person. It made things so much simpler.

Or did it? a voice in his head wondered. Marinette didn’t know that he knew the truth about her, would she think he was playing with her feelings by being so close with both Ladybug and Marinette? And there was always Alya, who, if she got wind of the situation, might start prodding into Ladybug’s identity for Marinette’s sake.  It was all pretty messy, he knew; but if he could just tell her the truth, she could tell him her truth and they both could be happy.

“Marinette, I-”

“Chat, please don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he blinked in surprise.

“Whatever you’re about to say, please, don’t. You’ve got that look in your eye and I just… have a feeling whatever you say will be incredibly sweet but still hurt. I don't want… Can we just enjoy things as they are, right now? Please?” she asked softly, her cheek resting on his shoulder as they continued to step.

She was right, he knew. Saying something now could make things incredibly difficult, especially when Ladybug and Chat Noir were about to sign a contract to dance together.

“One day, you’re gonna want to hear what I have to say,” he sighed, holding her tighter for a moment before the song ended and they stepped away.

“Shall we go?” Marinette asked, voice still quiet, her eyes a little pink and watery. Once again she looked on the verge of tears and Adrien wondered what had happened in her mind to make him synonymous with her sadness.

“Sure,” he said simply. Pulling his phone out and turning the music off before handing Marinette her helmet.

He adjusted his mask a little before pulling his own helmet over his head and buckling it under his chin. It was simple and black, but maybe he could order some black acrylic ears to attach to his headpiece to fit his brand, he wondered.

“Hold on tight, Princess,” he said after straddling the bike, Marinette following suit. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and Adrien tried not to focus on how warm she felt pressed against his back as he started the engine and cruised out of their picnic spot.

He picked up the speed along the country roads until they came back into town, noting the way Marinette’s arms loosened a little around him as they passed through unfamiliar streets of Paris. A quick glance behind him when they stopped at a traffic light and he could see her helmet angled upwards, taking in the architecture around them. Maybe he could bring her to this part of town again, it was relatively old but also kind of modern. The building were original designs, but had been converted to trendy cafes, boutiques and other upscale places.

As they reached more familiar streets, she left her arms rather loose around him, feeling more comfortable as the journey came to an end. He pulled up in front of her building and killed the engine. Marinette climbed off and he did the same, taking the helmet from her and lifting the back seat to slide it into its storage spot.

“Thanks for lunch,” she smiled, clutching her handbag a little tighter and avoiding his eyes as he took off his helmet to see her better.

“My pleasure. Thank you for making time in your schedule for me,” he added with a smile.

“A-anytime, Chat, really.” Her words were warm, but her eyes still weren’t meeting his.

“Only if you want to,” he said carefully.

“Wh-what?” she looked up surprised.

“You just seem… If I did something to make you upset with me, I’m sorry, really.”

“Chat, what are you-”

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to see me because of what happened between us that night. If you don’t want anything to come from that, or if you realise you don’t feel that way, or anything, it’s okay, I understand.”

“Chat Noir, what gave you the impression I don’t want to spend time with you?” she asked, one hand lifting from her bag strap but pausing in the air instead of reaching out to him.

“Marinette, please, it doesn’t take a genius to see something’s bothering you. You have that look in your eye, and when you see that I’ve caught it, you look away. If you don’t want anything out of this, please just tell me. I won’t push it, but I also won’t keep trying to reach out to you if you don’t want me. I just… I guess my point is, we both deserve to know so we don’t waste anyone’s time,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“Y-you’re right, I’m sorry,” she said after a sigh of her own. “I’ve just… got a lot on my mind and it’s hard to let it go, especially when I want to.” She took his hand from his neck and gripped it tightly in both of hers. “Thank you for lunch, I really did have a nice time. I… I missed you,” she added, cheeks blushing, this time looking away coyly. “I do want to spend more time with you, even if our schedules get pretty crazy.”

“We’ll make the time, Marinette, I promise,” he said, his chest feeling lighter as he kissed her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I messed up the chapter format and its gonna bug me for a thousand years but its too late to change it bc ive already written more chapters so oh well I guess.  
> I think I might be able to put one more update before the end of the year.  
> I hope your holiday shopping is done and you're all feeling positive healthy vibes for this festive season.  
> I wish you all happy and safe holidays, free from toxic people and full of self care and love!  
> Happy Holidays!


	9. Signed and sealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat and Ladybug sign the contracts

Chat made his way back to the studio, taking the long route there so he wouldn’t see Marinette as Ladybug on her way back. He pulled into the carpark and checked his phone, seeing a message from Gideon asking if his services were needed.

Adrien bit his lip, he hadn’t thought about how to explain this to his driver. Maybe he could reason with him and find a compromise, like he could only use his bike as Chat Noir. That felt reasonable, he thought to himself. He shot his driver a message explaining that he was still running errands as Chat Noir and would get back to him when he was finished.

Adrien looked up to see Clara Nightingale walking with the two producers from the show he had met earlier. He tilted his head, wondering what the American superstar was doing in this small part of Paris. He climbed off his bike and set his helmet under the seat next to Marinette’s.  He locked the ignition and stuffed his keys into his pocket before rustling a hand through his hair as he headed into the studio.

To Adrien’s minor surprise, Ladybug was already there – in the same clothes as that morning - and being introduced to Clara who would be their instructor for their two dancers.

“You’re a choreographer?” Ladybug asked in surprise.

“Some singers study to fly the aerial ace, I like to move with style and grace,” The girl almost sung in response.

“I see. Well hopefully Chat Noir and I will be easy to work with.”

“I’m sure you’ll be gliding across the floor with minimal assistance, you just have to keep focused on your persistence,” Clara nodded happily.

“Ah, Chat Noir, good to see you,” Earnest nodded as he caught sight of Adrien. “We have your revised contracts as promised. We brought along your chosen instructor to meet with Madame Bustier so they can discuss the routine requirements and you and your partners abilities and limitations.”

“Our lawyer should be here any moment now,” Chat nodded.

“Oh, you wear yet another mask, as for your identity, I dare not ask!” Clara sung, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead as she did. Behind her Ladybug shot him an incredulous look.

 “So, we have Clara Nightingale as our professional choreographer?” Chat asked.

“No need to be starstruck, she’ll be teaching you for two hours each day starting tomorrow, ready for the live premiere next weekend. You two are expected to train in your own time to keep up and be ready,” Earnest explained.

“Of course,” Adrien nodded, watching Madame Bustier come out of her small office space and begin talking with Clara. After a brief exchange, the two disappeared into the office, Clara growing increasingly animated as they spoke, but their voices not loud enough for the other to hear.

“Well that’s a good sign,” Nadja Chumack nodded. She looked like she was about to say something else when the studio doors opened.

“Sorry I’m late,” Monsieur Laurent said as he entered the room. “Meeting ran late. Anyway, may I look over the new contracts?” the man said, sitting at the table that was still set up from earlier. Earnest waved a hand to Nadja who opened the file she was carrying and handed it over to the lawyer. After a moment, the man nodded and gestured for Chat Noir and Ladybug to come over.

“These are your requested amendments, these are the standard rights for both you and the producers and this is your talent release consent form; if you both agree to these terms you may sign on the bottom line, but we do need your witness present as that happens,” the man explained and Adrien nodded. Ladybug called for their regular instructor who came out as Adrien read over the fine print.

He had signed many contracts and talent release forms and these forms looked no different. He noticed no inconsistencies and the precise wordings, so he took the pen from the table, looked at Madame Bustier who nodded before signing on the dotted line.

At the first stroke he paused, he’d started to sign his real name. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath looking at the stroke of the ‘A’ before turning it into the ‘Ch’ of Chat Noir. When he had finished, he looked at it, hoping his mistake wasn’t too obvious.

He passed it over to Madame Bustier who co-signed it beneath him, and then Ladybug did the same. As the lawyer gave an affirmative nod and slid the contracts back to the producers, Nadja looked up as if she just remembered something.

 “Did you get in contact with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, yet?”

“I just had lunch with her,” Adrien nodded. “She’s aware of what we have asked of her. She seemed a little hesitant but is still on board.”

“Good, we’ll need her designs by Tuesday at the absolute latest,” Earnest nodded and Adrien saw Ladybug blanch a little.

“How about Wednesday instead?” he asked, hoping to ease Marinette’s mind a little.

“Young man, are you aware of how long it takes to put together outfits for this kind of event?” Earnest asked, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. Unfortunately for him, Adrien knew exactly what preparing for a large fashion event required and how long it took, but he also knew Marinette’s abilities.

“Marinette handmade our costumes for the ball with less than a weeks’ notice, I’m sure your professionals can handle starting two of the costumes a few days after the others. Right?” Adrien gave a shrug to hope he didn’t sound too cocky, but he could tell by the way Ladybug pressed her lips in a tight line to stop a smile that he had done what he needed.

“Chat Noir, you do realise that you aren’t-”

“Wednesday will be fine,” Nadja Chumack interjected, cutting off the man beside her. “Just have her email them to me and I’ll pass them on.”

“You?” Adrien asked, tilting his head a little.

“I’ll be overseeing a large part of the makeup and costume department, so I’ll be the best one to approach. I also am well acquainted with Marinette, so it shouldn’t be an issue with her.”

“I see,” he muttered.

“Well, if that’s everything signed, you both will need to be at the studios tomorrow at eleven to begin your rehearsal,” Earnest explained.

“These birds need room to fly, I recommend we train in their sky,” Clara Nightingale reappeared from Madame Bustier’s office.

“That would actually be easier for me,” Ladybug nodded. “Plus, training here would help our two instructors collaborate.”

Adrien looked from his partner to their instructors and then to the man whose face was beginning to turn a shiny red.

“Clara, be reasonable, you can’t train them here, if word got out-”

“I know my duties and the risks, but we won’t get anywhere if you keep being a stiff,” the girl shook her head and Earnest’s face flushed darker.

“Very well. We will arrange it with your security detail,” Nadja nodded. “Good luck Ladybug and Chat Noir. We’ll see you on Friday for the dress rehearsal. Come on Earnest, we really must be going. We have so much to do,” she added, gently tugging at the man’s arm to encourage him to leave.

His face was still red and Adrien wondered if he was going to burst a blood vessel, but instead the man turned and left without a word. Their lawyer following shortly after a goodbye.

“Thank god their gone,” Clara sighed with a tired smile on her lips. “Rhyming gets exhausting but well, a brand’s a brand.”

“You mean you don’t rhyme all the time?”

“Are you kidding? Trying to make my words flow elegantly can get incredibly exhausting. All celebrities, even you both, must know how tiring keeping up appearances can be.”

“That’s… that’s a good point.” Adrien nodded.

“So, Mademoiselle Nightingale and I were discussing your capabilities in regards to different genres of ballroom,” Madame Bustier said, trying to steer the conversation back to why they were here.

“Ah, right; Madame Bustier said that you, Ladybug, have a lot more experience than Chat Noir, is that correct?” Clara asked, clasping her hands together.

“Er, y-yes. I’ve been dancing ballroom for about seven years,” Ladybug nodded.

“And you’re still new?” the girl asked Chat.

“Oh, er, kinda? I had a little knowledge of a few styles like the waltz, cha-cha and foxtrot before starting my private lessons a few months ago.”

“And since then you’ve studied the Paso Doble, Tango and both the regular waltz and Viennese waltz, correct?”

“And the Cha-Cha,” he nodded.

“Do you have any experience with swing dancing?”

“Uh, no, I’m afraid not.”

“Then you’re gonna have to work a bit harder this week, I’m afraid, little kitten,” Clara gave him an apologetic smile.

“You don’t mean…” Ladybug said behind him. He turned to see both fear and excitement in her eyes as she looked at the celebrity.

“Yes, Ladybug, you and your partner will be doing the jive,” Madame Bustier nodded.

 

~~~~~~

 

Marinette couldn’t believe it. She was going to be doing the jive with Chat Noir… with Adrien Agreste!

“Looks like you’ll have to teach me your favourite genre, m’lady,” he smiled.

“You’re favourite?” Clara asked. “Fantastic, that means you’d already know all the basics, correct?”

“I-it has been a while, but yes, I know the basics,” Marinette nodded. Madame Bustier had gone over the Jive with them in class not two months before the Parisian ball, and whilst Marinette knew she was practically flawless in these moves, she wasn’t sure how dancing with her partner would go.

“Good, can you show me your skill level?”

“I… er, I mean, I guess?” Marinette felt her heart begin to race. “Solo?” she asked.

Clara Nightingale nodded before pulling the stereo remote out of her pocket. “Are you ready?”

“I-I… sure, just…” she took a deep breath and pulled a hair tie off her wrist, tugging her hair up into a pony tail as Madame Bustier, Clara and Chat Noir gave her some space. Marinette rolled her ankles gently and arched her back in a small stretch before stepping back and giving a nod.

Clara pressed the remote and [a rhythm](https://youtu.be/saGgwvON4NE) began echoing in the room. The beat was a little on the slower side, but that was fine, Marinette thought as she began bouncing on her toes. She stepped forward and back, lifting her knees and swinging her hips as she went.

She kicked her heels out, bouncing in time to the music and shutting her eyes as she remembered the steps ingrained into her. Before she knew it, she was kicking and spinning, swishing her hips with each step, focusing on pointing her toes with each kick. The music resonated within her, the beat keeping her energy high and spurring her on.

Before she knew it, the song had finished and she was left panting, one arm up as she posed for the people watching. Madame Bustier nodded in approval whilst Clara Nightingale began clapping excitedly. Beside them both, Chat Noir was staring with his mouth agape; but as her eyes met his he turned it into a smile and gave a small applause himself.

As Marinette caught her breath, she pulled her ponytail out and ran her fingers through her hair. It hadn’t been her best performance, but she was pretty happy with herself, especially considering the fact she had done it solo when she was used to working with a partner.

“Ladybug that was amazing!” Clara exclaimed, drawing her attention back. She noticed Chat Noir had disappeared for a moment but she couldn’t focus on him as Clara began chatting excitedly.

“I haven’t worked with someone on this genre who has this level of experience before, so this is fantastic. You and Chat Noir will be able to show off some fantastic moves next week!”

“Well yeah,” Marinette breathed. “But Chat’s experience is different, and if you’re thinking of having lifts, which I’m guessing based on your questions of swing music, Chat Noir and I don’t have a lot of practise in that, so we’d both appreciate if the routine wasn’t too… showy,” she explained.

“Showy?” Chat asked, coming back in with a bottle of water from his bike. He handed it over to her and she smiled in appreciation. She hadn’t thought she’d be dancing today so she hadn’t planned ahead. She opened the bottle and drank deeply as Clara sighed.

“I’m afraid that’s literally part of the show. It’s about Paris’ best and showcasing everything they are capable of. Neither of you are contestants, so you don’t have the chance to ease into it like the others will. You’re both guests, which mean that you are expected to be impressive and be able to showcase a high-quality performance. I’ll do what I can to take into consideration your differing skill levels, but I do have my own conditions of contract to follow,” Clara gave an apologetic look.

“I know the ballroom you’ve participated in typically has a ‘no lifts’ policy, Ladybug, but if those are the conditions of the show, I’m afraid you don’t have a choice,” Madame Bustier put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

“We’ll be doing lifts?” Chat asked, finally able to clue in.

“That’s what she’s saying,” Marinette nodded.

“Well it’s not like we haven’t done them before,” he smiled. Marinette thought back to their first routine, there had been a small lift at the Parisian ball, and they had been able to handle it well enough… and then there was that night at the club… Her cheeks felt hot as she remembered how close they had been, and everything that had happened afterwards…

A quick glance at Chat, revealing his slightly pink cheeks meant he also had come to the same conclusion.

“Then you’ll both be fine. It won’t be anything big or flashy. The song I’ve chosen it quite cute, perfect for a young couple like yourselves,” Clara explained and Marinette couldn’t stop herself from correcting her.

“We-we’re not a couple.”

“No. No we aren’t,” Chat added, looking at his feet and Marinette almost felt bad.

“You aren’t?” the other girl asked, doubt evident in her voice for a moment. “Oh well, you can pretend for one song; I’ve seen your previous performances,” she waved a hand in the air to dismiss the topic. “Now, you both ought to be getting home and resting up for tomorrow. I expect you here bright and early and for most of the day, so come prepared.”

“Mademoiselle Nightingale?” one of her security officers stepped into the studio. “I’m afraid we must be going. You have to attend the dinner with the Mayor and his family in an hour.”

“Such a shame our time was fleeting, I’ll see you for tomorrow’s meeting!” Clara gave a dazzling smile to the dancers before leaving the studio.

“Well,” Chat breathed. “This is going to be an eventful week back.”

“Tell me about it,” Marinette sighed, wondering how she was going to design two outfits and learn a routine as well as her usual hobbies.

“I want to be quite clear with you both,” Madame Bustier broke the silence. “Neither of you have to attend my regular class this week. I can rearrange the studio, or set you up in an empty lecture hall for your private rehearsals for the duration of the weeks before your routines. I will leave the key in this office so you both will be able to have access to it whenever you need it. However,” she added, seeing the grateful smiles on both their faces. “If this becomes too much for you with your other commitments, say the word and I will make arrangements. I want you to remember that your health and studies are my first priority and if I think you need a break, I’ll be making sure you take them.”

“Madame Bustier,” Marinette began but the woman silenced her with a look.

“Ladybug, please don’t make me bring up your extra curriculars. I have every reason to be worried about two of my students, and I will _not_ let them work themselves into the ground.” Her eyes were fierce and Marinette bit her lip.

“Madame, I’m sure we’ll be fine. I know Ladybug works hard at all that she does and so do I,” Chat began but she turned on him.

“And you Monsieur Noir, please don’t think I am unaware of your relocation in a few months and your other commitments until then,” she said and Marinette saw Chat blanche. Adrien probably hadn’t told her, but Madame Bustier had a way of knowing about her students.

Marinette knew she didn’t have any children of her own, her work and the young people she supported had always come before romance and she wasn’t unhappy in the slightest. Her students were her family and she was fiercely protective of them.

“O-okay, Madame. I, er I mean, we, we understand,” Chat nodded, raising his hands in surrender.

“I’m glad you do. Now, would you like me to go over the basics of the jive now, or would you prefer to do it all tomorrow with Mademoiselle Nightingale?”

Chat looked at Ladybug and she looked back, giving a shrug as if to say it was up to him.

“I’d appreciate a quick run through,” he nodded at their instructor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone.  
> I hope you are blessed with the wonderful motivation to pursue whatever dreams and goals you have in the coming 12 months.  
> See you in 2019!


	10. Expectations and Doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat have their first practise

Marinette woke to her usual Monday alarms, disoriented when she saw that it was actually Sunday. It only took a moment after she closed her eyes as she remembered and sat up so fast, she was blinded with a bright light behind her eyes.

With a groan, she stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom where she immediately ran the shower and disrobed. As the hot water soothed her, she slowly felt her consciousness properly waken.

She was going to be dancing the jive with Chat, live on television, in less than a week, a routine choreographed by superstar Clara Nightingale, in a dress that she had to design. Marinette put her face under the scalding water for a moment before gasping as she pulled her face out again. It was going to be another busy week.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her before padding into the kitchen and boiling some water in the kettle and giving Tikki a biscuit. She then went back to her room and began searching for clothes to wear. Shorts or a skirt would probably be better for her, the jive required a lot of free leg movement, but a quick glance outside revealed icy windows and slippery streets down below.

Marinette settled on a pair of tights, a black skirt and a deep red sweater before heading back out and making a coffee. She sipped it against her kitchen bench and scrolled through her social media before her phone vibrated in her hand with a message from her dance partner.

**ChatNoir: Good morning m’lady.**

**Morning, _minou_. How are you?**

**ChatNoir: A little tired but otherwise the most rested I’ve been since I went away**

Marinette frowned at the smiling cat emoticons that followed. Had it really been that bad in Aslucia?

**Well that’s good at least. I’ll see you at the studio in half an hour?**

**ChatNoir: Sure. Would like me to bring you breakfast?**

She paused, looking at the half-finished coffee in her hand. She _would_ need to eat today, especially if she was going to be dancing. She drained the last of her coffee, wincing at the sweetness of the last dregs with the undissolved sugar.

**I’ll bring lunch then?**

**ChatNoir: Sounds like a fair trade.**

**ChatNoir: See you soon Bugaboo**

Marinette put her phone aside and began preparing some simple sandwiches before refilling Tikki’s food. She carefully packed them into a container and put the container with a plain drink bottle and plain white umbrella in her dance bag. She pulled on some white socks and black flats before grabbing her keys and picking up her phone, calling a goodbye to her feathered friend.

Marinette got a few streets away from her place and ducked into a little walkway to pull on her mask. She had opted to wear the simple red one she had originally been gifted, instead of the intricate red one she kept on her dressing table. She had considered a change in design, but like everything else since she had started her internship, nothing seemed to make it to paper; maybe this competition might give her some ideas, she hoped as she resumed her walk on the street.

A few minutes later she heard a motorbike echoing a few streets away and as the sound got louder, Marinette couldn’t help but look up, her heart beating a little faster as she considered who the rider could be. She looked up, but the bike wasn’t the sleek black one she was expecting; it was white and kind of… clunky looking, yet still… some sort of familiar.

The bike seemed to slow as it passed, and she swore she saw the driver tilt their head a little towards her but after a moment they turned a corner and disappeared. She shook herself mentally and continued her walk finally reaching campus which was appropriately abandoned for a Sunday morning.

She pushed open the studio doors and breathed in the complicated combination of familiar scents that helped ease her nerves. Yes, she had a big week ahead, but she could do it. She was Ladybug and Ladybug was talented, Ladybug was special and Ladybug could do anything.

She had half a mind to pull out a sketchbook and try and capture the feeling but the sound of an engine cutting behind the studio made her think better of it. She stepped out of the studio and smiled as Chat Noir came sauntering up, his helmet under one arm and a paper bag of food in the other. Over his shoulder was his dance bag and he wore simple black jeans and a white shirt with his black bomber jacket.

The smile on his face was something Marinette hadn’t seen from him since they had first danced comfortably together. As dangerous as a motorbike could be, she was glad he was happy; even if Gabriel Agreste would have heart attack if he knew.

“Morning, _Chaton_.”

“Morning Bugaboo, how did you sleep?” he grinned, gesturing for her to enter the studio first despite her holding the door open for him.

“I slept well, until my alarms went off,” she added with a laugh. She stepped through the doorway but kept her arm against the door so her partner could follow. “Thankfully this is my weekend off,” she sighed.

“Weekend off?”

“Er, yeah, from work.”

“Oh right, you said you’re working now, didn’t you? That must keep you pretty busy.”

“Yeah, kind of. That’s what Madame Bustier was talking about, yesterday, about my extra curriculars,” she explained, hoping he wouldn’t ask what she did. Adrien was a smart guy, too many small details would surely point to her true identity.

“Well, that’s okay. We can work around that,” he nodded as they found a place on the floor near the far wall. “I know we’re early but I thought if we had a chance after breakfast, we could get started on practicing before Clara arrives.”

Marinette nodded as she sat beside him. “As long as breakfast isn’t too heavy, sure. I hope you brought comfortable shoes, we’re going to be bouncing all day.”

“It’s a high energy genre, right?” he asked and she nodded again. “I like high energy stuff, don’t get me wrong, the slow dancing is nice, the timing keeps it elegant and intimate, but the high energy dances keep your spirits up and can be a lot of fun. It’s partly why I’m so fond of dances like the cha-cha or samba.”

“I know what you mean,” she said as he handed her a plastic bowl of fruit salad and a sealed cup of what appeared to be an iced tea with coloured balls in the bottom. “It’s part of why I like the jive so much. The high energy means you have to keep giving high energy and it just sort of cycles through you as you move. What is this by the way?” she asked, lifting the cup to inspect the contents.

“Try it,” he handed her a large straw before stabbing an identical one in his own sealed up. She followed suit and took a hesitant sip, pleasantly surprised by the fruity flavour. She froze when one of the coloured balls hit her tongue but within a moment they burst, leaving another fruity flavour on her tongue. She felt her eyes widen a little and heard Chat let out a giggle.

“Have you never had bubble tea before?”

Marinette shook her head. “It’s really fruity. What do you have?” she asked, inspecting his light green tea with black coloured balls in the bottom.

“It’s matcha green tea flavour with tapioca balls. I got you a strawberry black tea with lycee balls. I hope that’s okay?”

“It’s… it’s not unpleasant… it’s new,” she explained before setting it down beside her and opening her fruit salad.

“Hey Ladybug?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you really okay with dancing with me again? I know I was gone for a while and I know we didn’t get a chance to really talk about things that were left between us before I left… and now you’re working and you’ve kept yourself busy… I guess you’ve already started to get your life back to the way it was without me, hey?” he asked, eyes on his fruit bowl in his lap as he spoke and Marinette felt a pang in her chest.

“Chat… this is new to me. The stuff going on in my life right now… it’s all new and I’m trying to get the hang of it all.” Marinette paused as she considered what she was going to say.

She’d thought about him often in the time they were apart, as both Adrien and as Chat Noir. The feelings she’d developed for him were kind of… jumbled between what she felt for Chat and what she felt for Adrien. Finding out they were the same boy nearly sent her into a crisis but the holidays and her internship kept her mind occupied; so whilst she had thought about him, she hadn’t been able to dwell on their nights together or the way she had fallen for Chat Noir harder than she had for Adrien.

“I do want to dance with you again. I’ve never not wanted to dance with you, _Chaton_. Everything that happened before you left,” she bit her lip for a moment before just continuing. “was a little overwhelming, so when the holidays and my job came along, I was kind of grateful for the things keeping me busy. It’s not that I didn’t miss you, or think about you, I did; I just… kept busy, y’know?”

 

~~~~~

 

Across from her Chat Noir bit into a piece of apple and sat quietly for a moment, thinking over her words. It was clear that what happened between them before the competition was weighing on her, and she’d been grateful to keep her mind off him; but did that mean she regretted what happened or… no, he shook himself mentally. She had been happy to see him the day before; they had slow danced beneath the tree and she hadn’t pulled away. She’d been nothing but comfortable with him since he’d gotten back; so maybe it was the fact he was still being sweet with her as Ladybug as well as with Marinette.

“I thought about you a lot,” he blurted before he put a piece of orange into his mouth. He was grateful for the bitterness to hit him as he puckered a little. He wasn’t supposed to tell her, not like this.

“You did?” she blinked in confusion.

“Y-yeah. I, er, I missed everyone back here and I missed you, dancing with you, spending time with you, I mean,” he stumbled. How had he managed to be relatively suave with Marinette since he got back and now, he could barely keep his cool?

Her cheeks tinted pink as she focused on her own fruit, eating the salad a bit faster than him, almost as if she wanted the conversation to be over. He began to do the same, putting piece of fruit after piece of fruit into his mouth as fast as politely possible.

Adrien gave a little cough as a piece of pear got wedged in his throat for a moment, but then it was gone and his plastic bowl was empty. He took a few gulps of his iced tea and watched as Ladybug did the same. He was almost glad that neither of them wanted to talk about things… almost.

She stood first, kicking her bag to the side next to her bubble tea and making her way to the centre of the floor to stretch and warm up. Adrien watched for a moment, noting the way she bounced on her toes and tried to keep her movements fluid, a stark comparison to everything Madame Bustier had been drilling into them with the other ballroom styles.

After a moment, Adrien stood and joined her, copying the kicks and steps before changing up to other things Madame Bustier had run them through the day before. He took Ladybug’s hand and brought her into closed position, continuing the triple steps before letting her American turn and return to him, then he followed with a gentleman’s turn, kicking his heel out before he returned to his original position.

“That was good, _minou_ , just remember not to keep your other leg straight when you kick,” Ladybug praised and he nodded.

“This feels okay, I feel like we’re going okay, are we doing okay?” he asked as they stopped to catch their breath.

“We’re doing great, Chat. How about we put some music on? You’ll be able to focus on the beat instead of worrying about the steps themselves. You need to be able to relax a little,” she explained, jogging over to the stereo and returning a moment later, rhythm following her. She took a moment to position herself next to him.

“Ready?” she asked and when he nodded, she counted them in.

He felt as though he was half a count behind, trying to copy each step of hers but she stopped a moment later, shaking her head.

“Let’s just improvise together.”

“Sorry, I’m not trying to hold you back,” he said quietly as he took closed position.

“Chat, you aren’t. I know this is new to you; I also know how much better you are when we follow our hearts, not out heads,” she added with a smile. “Just follow the music and I’ll follow you.”

Adrien took a breath, catching the beat and starting the basic step, lead Ladybug into a series of simple moves. She happily followed, swinging her hips with the music and kicking her heels with the steps.

She seemed to know his heart wasn’t fully in it though, because she took the lead for a moment, sending him into a gentleman’s turn before bringing him back and knocking her hips against his, a kind but playful smile on her lips. Her hands gripped the hem of his shirt as she continued kicking and stepping with him and then it was like a switch flipping inside of him.

He took her hands from his shirt and pulled her close before spinning her away from him but keeping hold of her hand. He performed a few kicks to his side and behind him, which Ladybug happily mimicked beside him. It began to feel more natural and Adrien started to feel the energy build within him with each kick and triple step.

By the end of the song, he and Ladybug were stepping in near perfect sync and putting moves together as they went. The music faded out and a new song began, but was cut off. Both dancers looked to see Clara Nightingale nodding in approval.

“You two really lose yourselves, don’t you?”

“We thought we’d get some practice in before you got here,” Ladybug explained, avoiding the other girl’s question.

“Well, don’t lose that energy, you’ll need it.” Clara gave her ponytail a quick tighten before taking position in front of them so all three were facing the mirror. “Are you ready?”

Adrien swallowed hard and looked at his partner, but she was already copying Clara’s position, ready to learn. He carefully angled his arms at his sides and followed as Clara lead them into a basic step to get started, before demonstrating the series of steps she wanted them to master individually.

Her hips seemed to move in an unreal way as her legs kicked up around her, heels making minimal noise of the wooden floor as she went. Her arms were either by her side or in a stiff yet seemingly relaxed lifted position in the air around her.

He progressed slower than Ladybug, his partner able to recognise step combinations faster than him and therefore she was barely a count behind as she followed along. He knew he was at least a count behind but he felt kind of accomplished when the only feedback Clara had to offer him was to stop looking at his feet.

When she let them take a quick drink break, Ladybug checked in with him.

“How are you going?” she asked as they both drank deeply from their bottles.

“I’m getting it,” he nodded, trying to ignore the voice in the back of his head that had started muttering since they’d started.

“You are,” she said proudly. “You really are incredibly talented.”

He felt his cheeks burn but the voice in his head brush her compliment away. Of course, she would say that, it told him, she was his friend and she had feelings for him. She had no reason to tell him he was terrible or slow or sloppy on counts.

He gave his head a little shake as he took another sip and put his bottle away.

“Alright you two, I’m going to call in a friend of mine to help me demonstrate the couple steps; I need you two to focus on what my partner and I do, because everything you’re learning will be a part of your routine, okay?” Clara asked and both dancers nodded.

“I’ll be right back,” the girl said before taking her phone and leaving the studio for a moment.

“Chat, everything okay?” Ladybug asked, Adrien able to feel her eyes on him.

“Yeah, yeah. How about we go through that again to make sure I got it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!   
> Hope the new year has been keeping you busy and youve been keeping cool - or warm depending where you're from.   
> It's been ridicuously hot the last few weeks and work has definitely been keeping me busy.  
> Hope to get another update out to you soon!


	11. Jumpin' Jive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir relax into the swing of things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh heh 'swing' of things.

After an hour or two of watching and learning the combination of joint steps that Clara and her partner demonstrated, Adrien was relieved to note that he hadn’t accidentally kicked Ladybug in the process. He _had_ accidentally stepped forward once when he was supposed to step back and caused the two of them to knock foreheads, but she had laughed it off, promising that she had done worse to herself when she first learnt the jive as well.

“Time for you both to recover for a while, I’ll be back in half hour, see you with a smile,” Clara dismissed. Her rhyming had picked back up when her partner had arrived, clearly not someone the girl new personally, but a talented dancer just the same.

Clara picked up her handbag and left the room with a wave, her partner obediently following behind. When they were alone, Adrien couldn’t help but apologise again.

“Ladybug, I’m so sorry about knocking into you.”

“I told you, it’s fine, _minou_. You wouldn’t believe the injuries I had when I first started dancing,” she laughed, walking over and sitting by their bags. He was sure some of those stories were entirely believable, especially since he knew Marinette so well, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

“I’m not just starting though,” he sighed, slouching against the wall beside her but not sitting.

“I sprained my left pinky toe when I started jive dancing,” she said, rather confidently.

“Sprains are common injuries for athletes,” Adrien replied glumly.

“I also kicked my partner during a dress rehearsal, it was such a bad accident; he fell and hit his head so hard, he had concussion and couldn’t dance the recital with me.”

“Look, Ladybug, I appreciate you trying to comfort me, but the simple fact is I’m not-”

“You’re not _me_ , Chat. You’re your own person, you have your own way of learning and your own unique mistakes,” she added in a light teasing tone. “Please don’t beat yourself up over it. I know how hard it is adjusting,” she looked at her hands before suddenly meeting his eyes. “To a new genre, I mean. Dancing, can be hard, yeah, that’s what I meant,” she trailed off.

Adrien frowned as she looked away from him. He opened his mouth to reply but she shook her head a little and shrugged her shoulders once before shooting him a smile.

“Anyway, I must apologise, I only brought some sandwiches for us for lunch, nothing too fancy,” she confessed as she pulled a container from her bag and sat it between them. Adrien looked through lid and saw a variety of small sandwiches that looked like they could probably be served at a high tea event. He couldn’t help but shake his head a little before taking one from the container.

Beside him, Ladybug took a long swig of her water before shuffling to put her back against the wall. She grabbed a sandwich and held it in her hands, staring at it but not eating it.

“The sandwiches are nice,” he said as he finished the half in his hand. He watched Ladybug give a small smile which almost immediately disappeared.

“Chat, look, if you’re having second thoughts-” her voice trailed off.

“I’m not. I told you, Ladybug, I want to keep dancing with you. I’m just tired from my trip I guess,” he sighed, placing his head in his hands. He needed to get out of his own mind, the two of them danced best when they let go and yet he kept getting caught up. Where were these insecurities coming from? He wondered. Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“We all have bad days,” Ladybug said, hesitating to put her hand on his. He pulled his head from his hands.

“I know. I just need to get out of my head,” he said, standing and moving towards the centre of the floor. He took a deep breath and began kicking his legs as they had been shown earlier. He knew the combinations now, he just needed to get better, faster. He barely got through the routine once before Ladybug stepped up and stopped him.

“Take a minute to stop, please. You’ll burn yourself out before we even learn the whole routine if you don’t take a break. I promise we can go through it again once we’ve eaten,” she was holding onto his arm, a concerned expression pulling at her features.

He bit his lip but nodded. He knew she would do whatever she could to help him, and if he was honest, the way she worried about him, both sides of him, really warmed his heart. He let her lead him back to their spot and picked up another half of a sandwich, this one had avocado and sundried tomato. He watched as Ladybug picked up the other half and held it up in a mock toast gesture with a half-smile. Adrien gave her a small smile in return before tapping his half of food against hers, causing her to giggle.

She watched him as they ate, and he kept looking up to catch her eyes on him, but she never looked away. She wanted him to know she was concerned, that she was checking up on him. When he finished his half of the sandwich, he took a long drink from his water bottle, feeling a little better with a full stomach and the knowledge that he had Marinette looking out for him.

When she finished her food shortly after him, she packed the container away with two sandwiches left, which she jokingly said was for their next snack break. After a moment she stood and held out a hand to him, which he took and let her pull him up. The two then moved to the centre of the floor and Ladybug began walking him through the steps again.

“Okay, so, you’re getting the combination, but you’re worried too much of specifics right now. You need to just focus on the basics,” she began, the confidence in her voice taking over. Adrien couldn’t help but admire the minor transformation in Marinette whenever she spoke about fashion or ballroom. She was bolder, more sure of herself; like she was really in tune with who she truly was at her core. All the awkwardness that normally tripped her up was stripped away.

“Just focus on the kicks and steps like normal and we can polish them later,” she turned and faced the mirror before showing him the steps but he could see she was relaxed. He feet weren’t as pointed and her kicks were weaker. He had never seen her move like this, it wasn’t sloppy, but it certainly wasn’t her usual polished self. She grinned at him through the mirror before turning to him with an energised jump.

“Are you ready?”

“Ladybug, that was…”

“I know, it looked ridiculous didn’t it?” she laughed. “But all the steps were there. So come on, it’s okay be a bit of a scarecrow for now. Once you get a better hang of it all, it’ll be easier to fix,” she smiled, before heading to the stereo and starting [a new song](https://youtu.be/ba4qfwfodwM). It wasn’t what they had been practising to, but the beat was the same.

Ladybug counted them in and together they kicked their legs out forwards and to the sides, following through the routine they had been working on all morning. Adrien couldn’t help as the smile on his fact got wider as they went. He felt ridiculous, but Ladybug was right, he was able to keep time with her and the music, not even half a count behind. Once they had run though the individual steps, she danced her way over to him and he took her hands.

Together they continued going through the couple steps, but keeping their steps crude. To Adrien’s mild surprise, they never collided and he felt more relaxed than he had since they’d started. Once they’d finished what they’d learnt for the day they stepped apart.

Adrien’s eyes followed his partner as she went to grab a quick sip of water before returning to him, her eyes bright and her hair starting to fall from its ponytail.

“Ready to go again?” she asked, nearly breathless and Adrien nodded, taking their positions again and waiting for the music to fall into count. This time it was Adrien was counted them in, almost leading Ladybug as he kicked and stepped and even swung his hips a little. When they joined for the couple steps, Adrien happily lead her, incorporating a few extra turns before they finished the steps they had learned with the music.

“What?” Adrien asked a moment later when he saw Ladybug staring at him whilst he took a drink of water.

“You are amazing, Chaton. That was wonderful, you were so fluid! The second time round, you were so natural, I don’t know if you noticed, but your kicks were almost perfect.”

“They were?” he gasped as he nearly choked on his water.

“Once you got the hang of it and loosened up, you were a natural, just like every time we dance,” she smiled, affectionately running a hand though his hair. He fought the urge to catch her arm as she pulled away and instead, dropped his closed drink bottle before wrapping her in a huge hug. She let out a surprised squeal as he picked her up and spun her before setting her down.

“Thanks M-M’lady,” he caught himself, but Ladybug hadn’t noticed the slip, her cheeks instead tinting pink as she brushed off his thanks.

“It’s nothing really. You did it all yourself,” she stammered before stepping back. “Shall we go again?” she asked.

Adrien took a moment, catching the reflection of the two of them in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked almost… wild. The energy from the dance was still running through him and before he could think about it, he was pulling her back to the floor.

 

~~~~~

 

Marinette breathed heavily as she and Chat were able to step apart a few hours later. Clara had returned during their third run through and had been delighted at their dedication. She and her partner had continued to walk them through the next series of moves; talking about where the lift would go but explaining they would be learning it another day.

Marinette was relieved at those words. Her nerves seemed to jump into her throat at the mention of the lift and knowing how fast paced the Jive was, didn’t give her much confidence in what she would need to do.

However, she had no qualms as the two of them spun around the room, one arm in the air whilst the other was locked around each other’s waist. She knew it would get faster as they polished it, but she had to take her own advice and focus on learning the combination before worrying about the specifics.

She nearly collapsed as she sat next to her bag and drained the last of the second water bottle. Chat sat next to her, pulling off his sneakers and groaning in relief.

“You’re gonna need those back on,” Marinette warned and he shook his head.

“Nope, this is it, this is where I die,” her partner breathed dramatically as he pretended to collapse to the ground.

“You can’t die, we signed a contract,” she laughed. She looked at her own sneakered feet, glad she’s resolved to swap? To them before things got too fast. Her feet would thank her later, even if they were aching now.

“I’m afraid we went a little over schedule,” Marinette heard Clara say Madame Bustier.

“They’ll be okay, dear. They’ve been though the ringer before,” she joked and Clara just nodded.

“I’ll be back tomorrow at one, if that is acceptable?”

“I run a dance class in this room Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the afternoons. I could set you up in the auditorium? Perhaps the stage might inspire them?”

“A working sound system?”

“Of course.”

“That will be splendid. You should be proud Madame. Your students have been pushed beyond their limits today and they’re still, well, I would say standing but,” Clara gestured to the two dancers slumped against the wall.

“I think you probably hit their limits, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything they can’t handle. They’re very strong young people,” Madame Bustier said proudly. “Anyway, I do believe you are behind your personal schedule and you must be off.”

“Oh, yes, you’re right. Well, until tomorrow, my dear ones; your persistence is admirable and I can’t wait to see how well you’re compatible!” Clara called with a wave as she headed out. Marinette gave a small wave but Chat just raised his hand.

“Come on, Chat Noir, you can cut the act now,” Madame Bustier scolded playfully and his head popped up.

“Is she gone?” he asked and both Marinette and their instructor nodded. “Oh thank god,” he cried, slumping to the floor and stretching out. Marinette just giggled.

“My arms hurt more than my legs, how is that possible?” he whined.

“Ballroom doesn’t typically need that much from your arms. You’re normally just holding your partner, Jive is a lot more intense,” Marinette explained with a shrug. Her arms and legs weren’t as sore, a little achy, sure, but she had been doing this for years.

“And we’ve got five more days of this?”

“Six, technically if you count the performance,” Madame Bustier answered.

“That’s it,” Chat declared. “Just cut off my limbs.” Marinette laughed a little harder.

“No need to be quite so dramatic. You’ll be fine after a good night’s rest.”

“Yeah, what happened to the one who said, ‘I like energetic dances, they keep me going’,” Marinette teased.

“He died after the third hour,” Chat replied flatly. Madame Bustier just rolled her eyes and headed back to her office, calling out that she would be closing up in the next half hour.

“Come on, Chat, up you get,” she laughed.

“Make me,” he taunted.

“Well, since you asked _so_ kindly,” she sighed and crawled over to him until her face was just above his.

They both looked at each other for a moment, half smiles on their faces; Chat’s almost daring and hers contemplating the consequences. She slowly leant forward and pressed her nose against Chat’s and then, as if she fully registered the position that she had put herself in, reached out with her hand and tickled his unguarded side. Chat’s body jerked up into a sitting position as she pulled her head back, trying to fight the blood that rushed to her cheeks.

“Well, you, er, got me up,” he laughed nervously after a moment. Marinette shot him a sideways glance and saw his cheeks were also flushing. She turned her attention changing out of her dance sneakers and back into her simple flats.

“That w-was what you challenged,” she replied, her voice wavering just a little. She changed shoes quickly, noticing Chat do the same beside her, hissing a little as he freed his feet from the leather of his dance shoes.

“Wear some sneakers for the next few days, just until the routine is fleshed out. Your feet will appreciate it,” Marinette found herself saying as she stood. Beside her, Chat stood quickly, unwilling to be left behind.

“Can I walk you?” he asked as they picked up their bags and called out to Madame Bustier as they left.

“Wouldn’t you have to come back for your bike?” she raised an eyebrow and he froze for a moment.

“How did you know I had a bike?”

“Chat, I heard it. Plus, you’re the only one I know who’d even consider getting one. You’re a real wild child,” Marinette forced a laugh. “Besides, you had your helmet under your arm this morning,” she added, gesturing to the large bulge in his dance bag where he had stuffed it.

“Oh right,” he shook his head. “Well, can I drive you to the usual spot?”

“I don’t want to put you out, Chat,” Marinette shook her head. “I’m okay to walk on my own.”

“Oh… alright then,” he responded a second too slow. She shot him a sideways glance and saw him looking at his feet, eyes almost… sad.

“I’m not going straight home anyway,” she added. “I have to go to the shops before they close.”

Marinette hadn’t planned to go until tomorrow, but she couldn’t stand the look of rejection on her partners face; and she also remembered this was her week of work at Agreste so her schedule would be pretty tight throughout the week, especially now she had to take time out from Tuesday and Thursday.

“Ah, gotta stock up, I suppose,” Chat said beside her as he followed her to her usual exit spot on campus. When she looked at him quizzically, he explained. “We’re going to be busy dancing this week, and if you’ve also got your job, it’s smarter to go today to stock up on whatever you need for the week.”

“Y-yeah,” she nodded.

“Sure you don’t want me to drive you?”

“I appreciate the offer, Chat, but some things a girl has to do herself,” she smiled.

“Well forgive me, m’lady,” he said as they came to a halt at the corner. He took her hand and bowed before her before placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. She considered reprimanding him, but instead decided against it. He’d had enough rejection from her for one day and it didn’t help she couldn’t quite sort of her feelings between both sides of the boy.

“Good night, Minou. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she added with a smile.

“I can’t wait,” the boy smiled, green eyes sparkling behind the mask. “Until tomorrow then.” He stepped away and gave a small wave before she stepped off the curb and made her way home to change before heading to the shops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all have been well and this chapter didn't disappoint!   
> these kids got a little hard to write for a while but things got better.  
> Ive had a bit extra free time lately so Ive been trying to write some more before I get busy again.  
> Thanks so much for all your comments. I'm sorry that I take so long to reply!  
> See you all soon!  
> Stay well!


	12. Flawed and Called Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya have a heated discussion and Adrien's Father stops by for a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I apologise for the delay. I had personal stuff happen. I'll have more details at the end, but that way you can skip them.   
> I can't promise any more chapters for a while, but I'm not giving up on this fic. Just need time to focus on work and stuff.   
> Thank you for the support.

Marinette slouched behind her front door once she had finally gotten home, the bag of shopping hitting the floor with a thud. She had ditched her mask before hitting the supermarket and it was shoved quite firmly in her jacket pocket. She pushed it in again, paranoid that it would fall out without her noticing and her identity would be forfeit.

She hadn’t had to worry about being Ladybug for a while, but the fear of another Volpina situation was right at the front of her mind while her mask was on her person.

Shaking her head a little, relieved to finally be home, she dumped her shopping on her kitchen counter and went to change into some comfy pyjama pants.

A few moments later, Marinette was unpacking her shopping, Tikki on her cage and Jagged stone playing through her stereo. It was mundane and comforting, a quiet moment in what had become quite a busy time in her life. And it was over, as her phone vibrated on the counter, Alya’s photo lighting up the screen.

“What’s up, Lady WiFi?” Marinette answered as she continued to unpack her shopping and begin preparing her dinner.

“Okay, so you know how I’ve been working on something big, and I couldn’t tell _anyone_ about it?”

“Your mystery project that you’ve been surprisingly tight-lipped about? I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh ha-ha,” Marinette could practically hear Alya roll her eyes. Marinette heard the jingling of keys over the line.

“You just getting home?”

“Something like that,” Alya explained, her voice suddenly growing louder as Marinette’s front door swung open.

“And what time do you call this?” Marinette grinned as she hung up the call and slid her phone back on the counter.

“I know right. Fetch me some tea, dear, I’ve been at the studio all day,” Alya groaned as she flopped onto the dark blue couch in Marinette’s living room. “I miss the old couch,” she added with a pout.

“Me too, but I’m afraid it just couldn’t take eight of you trying to sit on it,” Marinette scolded, recalling their new years gathering as she put on some water to boil.

Marinette had been content just to have Alya and Nino over, have some drinks and maybe try to catch Adrien on video chat; but Alya had invited most of the dance squad from Nino’s club. All their old high school friends had been welcome, of course, but Marinette’s poor marshmallow couch had paid the price.

“That wasn’t my fault,” Alya shook her head, sitting a little straighter. “Oh, have you heard from Rose about that mystery date yet?”

“No, you don’t know who she’s trying to set me up with do you? I’m not keen on the whole total stranger thing.”

“I know you aren’t, which is why I’m annoyed she won’t tell me. All she said was that his schedule is pretty difficult to work around, not unlike someone else we know,” Alya added in a mumble, falling back and rotating so she was laying on the couch, feet over one end and her head on the other.

“That’s life for you,” Marinette shrugged as she continued cutting vegetables until the water boiled.  Once it was ready, she transferred it to a teapot, put the leaves on a tray with the cups and sugar and made her way over to the coffee table.

“So, why are you here?”

“That’s a big question doc, why are any of us here? What is the meaning of life?”

“Come on, you could have gone home to Nino, who I’m sure has more pity for you than I do,” Marinette added with a smile as she sat in her chair.

“Right, my secret project,” Alya sat bolt upright, turning to face Marinette with wide eyes. “I am interning under Nadja Shumack in the new TV show Dancing with Paris!”

“She’s a producer for it, right? Why producer? I thought you’d want to be a host or something?”

“Marinette, you don’t seem very excited about this. Could it be that you were already informed of the developments?” Alya raised an eyebrow and Marinette busied herself with preparing their cups of tea.

“Sorry. Alya, this is amazing, congratulations! Interning under one of the producers for a new TV show, that will have guest dancers that definitely have not asked me to design their costumes,” She added, eyes flickering to Alya as she poured the water.

“So you’re Ladybug and Chat Noir’s designer, I should have known,” Alya shook her head.

“Like you wouldn’t have put two and two together sooner,” Marinette gave an apologetic smile. “I only got asked yesterday, anyway. Ladybug volunteered me for it,” she added, hoping that Alya would see the opportunity for her.

“What does Ladybug know? Does she know you’re working for Agreste now? On top of your double major studies?” Alya shook her head, her voice slowly getting louder.

“Alya, it’s not a double major. Ballroom is just a hobby,” Marinette tried to pacify.

“Ballroom is a part of you! I see it when you dance, and I don’t want you locking yourself away doing favours for people who don’t deserve them!”

Marinette pressed her lips together, unable to argue. Alya was right, Marinette shouldn’t be giving up things she was passionate about just to help others, but she was helping herself; did that mean she was really losing out on anything?

“When was the last time you designed anything for yourself, Mari? Shall we take a look at your sketchbook?”

“Alya stop,” Marinette’s voice was harsh as she reached out to stop her friend’s arm from reaching her sketchbook on the coffee table. She took a breath; “Look, I was given a choice. I didn’t have to agree to it-”

“Ladybug offered you up, you said yourself. She’s being selfish! When did she last check in with you? From what I heard it was Chat who spoke to you about the whole thing, not Ladybug,” Alya put her cup down, her hands scrunching into fists and pressing into her thighs.

“Alya, why are you upset about this?” Marinette blinked.

“Because I’m worried about you, Marinette!” Alya burst. “You’ve barely been around since you got that internship. I thought I was obsessed with Ladybug and the Ladyblog, but looking at it, you’re consumed by her as well. When she and Chat Noir had those performances, you locked yourself away designing and sewing for weeks. Now she’s back out of nowhere and you’re just going to let her take control of your life again? Nuh-uh, no way.”

“Alya, I-”

“You need to put yourself first, Marinette. You’re basically my sister. I can’t stand to watch as you let yourself fade away like this.” Alya’s voice was still sharp, but she was now staring intently at her hands on her knees.

“Alya, stop,” Marinette reached out, putting her hand over one of her friend’s fists. “Ladybug isn’t to blame. I took on those projects because they inspired me, they took me in a direction I wanted to go in and helped me better my skills. Look where it led me, I’m interning at the place I’ve always dreamed of working! I’m not about to give that up for a silly TV show.”

“Oh gee thanks,” Alya rolled her eyes. Marinette caught the sarcasm but didn’t miss the way her friends’ eyes were glistening.

“You know what I mean. Ladybug and I keep in touch, we talk about our studies, I hear she’s even got a job herself now. We’re both busy people, and yet I still said yes, because dancing inspires me.”

“You’re inspiring,” Alya muttered after a moment, the hot air deflating from her as she slouched back.

“What?” Marinette blinked.

“You are. You’re such a good friend, to everyone; you work hard on things you love but always helping others along the way. You never leave anyone high and dry, by themselves. I just wish you’d stop for yourself sometimes.”

Marinette couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips. As much as she wanted to deny it, to insist there were people who did more for her, she couldn’t find the energy to argue. Alya had always been there for her, the sister she never had. She knew more about Marinette than anyone.

The thought brought a small pang of guilt in her chest as she once again acknowledged the wall that hid Ladybug. She needed to tell her the truth. She owed her that much.

“Alya, I…” The girl on the couch looked to her, sensing the tone and Marinette’s heart began to thunder louder in her chest. She owed Alya this much. She was working so hard to protect her.

“I-I’ve been working on something too. I’d like to show it to you when it’s done, o-okay?” She stammered out.

“Mari,” Alya sat up and leant closer. “Is everything okay?”

“Y-yeah. It’s just… it’s kind of a big project. I’d like to show you when it’s finished.” Marinette looked down at her tea and fought a sigh as disappointment raged inside of her.

She couldn’t tell her, not like this. Even though she knew the longer she held it in, the worse the results would be. Marinette just wasn’t ready. Nino knew, and for now that was enough. If Alya found out, she’d surely tell Chat – tell Adrien. The results of that, Marinette didn’t want to think about.

“If something’s bothering you…?”

“I just hope I don’t disappoint you,” Marinette forced a smile at her friend before taking a sip of tea. “Now, excuse the way I ruined your announcement. Tell me all about interning with Dancing in Paris,” She added, shuffling a little in her seat and giving Alya a small nod.

The girl stared at her for a moment longer before picking up her bag and beginning to pull out all her notes and telling Marinette how she had been offered the internship.

 

~~~~~

 

Adrien sat at his desk, typing furiously at his computer. Not for the first time, he found peace in the numbers and formulas of physics and other sciences.

He rolled his desk chair back and stretched. Checking the time, he’d been at his computer for more than four hours now, catching up on a few things he’d missed and revisiting the assignments he’d had to rush through during his time in Aslucia.

He was glad his father had let him drop the double major in dramatic arts and the Chinese lessons – even they were replaced by fortnightly trips to learn his princely duties. It meant he had more time in Paris to focus on the things he loved to do – while he still could.

A knock at the door startled him and he made his way to the door, pressing the buzzer on the intercom.

“Hello?”

“Adrien, your father and I are here,” Nathalie’s crisp voice came through the speaker.

Adrien swallowed hard. Why was his father here? And at… seven at night? He quickly ran his hands through his hair and glanced down at his pyjama pants and t-shirt. His father would be disappointed but he hadn’t been expecting company.

Adrien took a breath and steeled himself before opening the door the way Astor had taught him.

“Hello Father, Nathalie. Welcome, please come in,” he gestured for them to enter and his father barely looked at him. The air was cold as he passed, but Adrien felt a little warmer as Nathalie gave him a small if not sad smile. He shut the door and escorted them to the dining room, relieved he hadn’t been home long enough to make a mess of his place.

“Please take a seat, can I get you anything to drink?” Adrien gestured to the chair he pulled out for his father who sat but didn’t say a word.

“Adrien, you should probably also sit down,” Nathalie said, her tone warning him of the storm that was about to hit.

He sat opposite his father and braced himself once again.

“I was informed of a rather large withdrawal from your savings account yesterday morning,” Gabriel began. Adrien kept his mouth shut. “It seemed you withdrew the cash and had Gideon drive you to a car dealership. Would you care to share what happened after that?” Gabriel leant forward rest his chin on the tops of his hands.

“What are you accusing me of, Father?” Adrien asked, narrowing his eyes.

“The GPS in Gideon’s car also indicated that you went to a lawyers office. Would you care to explain that, as well?”

Adrien narrowed his eyes. He’d gotten in touch with the lawyers through emails and phone calls, and Gideon hadn’t driven him to the dealership. He hadn’t been that careless with his identity, had he?

“I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from, Father. It’s true I had Gideon drive me to the bank and made a withdrawal, but then I returned home for the day. I wanted to have money easily available to me when I spend time with my friends. As you and I are very well aware, I won’t be able to _have_ friends in a few months, and I’d like to be able to enjoy my time with them when I can,” Adrien added, turning his nose up a little with a scowl.

“If they need legal help, you are not to get yourself involved,” Gabriel snapped, thinking he had read between the lines.

Adrien felt a part of his tension melt away. If his father thought one of his friends were in trouble and were using him for his money, it meant he hadn’t really considered Adrien as a renegade yet. Maybe his father thought him too mild-mannered to invest in a motorcycle for himself, to run away from his problems, to take on an alter ego.

“How I spend my money, is up to me. I worked for it, years of labour for Agreste, of fasting and working out and ridiculous schedules. What I do with my money is up to me,” Adrien glared. “And even _if_ any of my friends were in trouble and needed legal help or anything like that, I’d do whatever I can to help them. It’s how I was raised,” he added, catching the way his father’s eyes widened for just a moment.

“Adrien, you are a future Prince and eventual King. I will not have you risking your future by running around with a bunch of apostates!”

“So what? You’ll continue to spy on me, to check Gideon’s GPS to see where I’ve apparently been?” Adrien snapped.

“You are a smart boy, but you are still just a child. Until you prove otherwise, you will be treated as such. I am your father; it is my responsibility-”

“Your responsibility?” Adrien burst as he stood, his chair scraped against the tile before crashing as it fell backwards. “You mean Nathalie and Gideon’s responsibility. You never took care of me and after she… you locked yourself away, you had _me_ locked away!” His hands were in fists against the table as he fought not to slam them against the wood.

Adrien took a breath before straightening. “You need to leave.”

“Excuse me,” Gabriel blinked, his face otherwise still stone.

“Thank you for visiting, father, but I believe it is time for you to leave. I have assignments to complete before turning in for the night.” Adrien turned and made his way out of the dining room and towards the front door, holding it open and waiting.

A few moments later, his father talked out past him, posture as straight as ever, his nose turned up. Nathalie gave him an apologetic look, briefly resting her hand on his shoulder before hurrying to call the elevator for Gabriel.

Adrien didn’t even glance at them as he shut and locked the door. He leant against it and slid to the floor, looking up at the roof as he fought the prickling in his eyes.

Not even a minute later, Adrien felt Plagg crawl into his lap and begin to purr. He looked down to see his first friend, green eyes closed as his chest rumbled. Adrien rested his hand on the feline and closed his eyes.

His father knew he had been to a dealership and to the lawyers, but the lawyers had only contacted him via phone and email. He had gone to the dealership alone and as Chat Noir. He had been so careful about his identity – after Volpina, he couldn’t afford not to be.

There was probably a bug on his computer, Adrien reasoned. He’d been away, who knows what his father had done to his computer or apartment while he was away.

With a sigh, he pulled himself up, still carrying Plagg and slumped into his desk chair, running his anti-virus and checking for recently installed programs. It came up quickly.

WatchFullEye; a program Adrien discovered was designed for parents concerned about what their children were looking at on the computer. Through a quick search on his phone, he found out the program would be automatically copied to any devices that paired with the host device to allow parents to view and access every site and chat their children accessed.

Adrien scowled but was relieved he hadn’t connected his phone to his desktop yet. He considered removing the program from his computer entirely, but who knew what his father would resort to next. Instead, he closed the browser on his phone and typed out a message to a friend.

**Hey Max. I know it’s out of the blue. Hope you’re well. Had a tone of family stuff happen. I need some advice on some computer stuff, if you’ve got the time. I’m happy to provide coffee.**

He didn’t expect a response until the next day and jumped when his phone immediately vibrated in response.

**Max: Can come to you now if convenient. If not, happy to help tomorrow during lunch.**

**Now would be great, thanks.**

With a sigh of relief, Adrien locked his phone and sat up, Plagg getting up and leaving, now sensing Adrien had been sufficiently comforted. Adrien made his way to the kitchen and started the coffee machine before pulling out some cat treats for Plagg and leaving them in his bowl. Adrien and his way into his room and threw on a pair of jeans before heading back to prepare the coffee.

Not that he needed to bother looking decent, because Max showed up fifteen minutes later in his own pyjama pants with a hoodie, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder and a couple bags of chips and sweets in his arms.

“I brought some snacks, in case it’s a long night,” he added with a grin behind his glasses.

“You’re a life saver, man,” Adrien smiled back as he let his friend in. He directed Max to the desk where he quickly made space for his friends’ laptop. Max set up as Adrien finished preparing the coffee, bringing in two mugs just in time to stop Max from connecting his laptop to the desktop.

“Wait!” he called. “Don’t connect it.”

“Why?”

“My father put a program on my computer to monitor me. It automatically transfers to devices,” Adrien explained as he stood behind the desk chair and indicated the program he had located earlier.

“Ooh,” Max nodded as he slumped into the chair. “WatchFullEye. Right, he’s rich, of course he could afford the top quality surveillance.”

“Surveillance?”

“You haven’t opened any video or photo programs since you’ve been back, have you?”

“N-no, why?”

“You know all those rumours about the FBI and the Government being able to see through your camera and stuff?”

“Like hackers and stuff can too?... are you telling me this program does it too?”

“Well, it looks like it’s still new, so it has only been able to access what you’ve used recently. I guess it was put on while you were gone?” Max asked and Adrien nodded. “That’s good, it means it hasn’t gotten into your other files yet.”

“What can you do? I don’t want to remove it entirely in case my father flips out but-”

“Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to remove anyway. Like I said, your father paid for the top quality. Its designed so that children can’t remove the program, only the parents.”

“Which means It’ll probably alert him if I try to screw with it, right?” Adrien asked.

“More than likely. The good news is, I should be able to limit some of its access for you. It won’t be easy though,” Max frowned as he began typing frantically at his own laptop.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you. You’re the smartest guy I know,” Adrien replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of posting guys.   
> [incoming personal dump skip to the next ~~ for a tldr]  
> ~~  
> My grandfather had a fall and then got sick in the middle of april and passed soon after, then it was easter, then I got sick, and then it was the funeral and then the scattering of his remains and I knew I had a holiday planned for the end of May and even though work was picking up and getting overwhelming, I kept putting off dealing with stuff until my holiday and that was really bad for me. When i 'turned off' for the evenings i took to playing sims and not thinking about anything else. I couldnt find the energy for anything else. I was only recharging the energy the day had taken from me rather than focusing on my needs and dealing with what I had gone through.   
> My depression returned, I struggled with work and had grief sitting on my shoulder not being dealt with.  
> The day before my holiday I broke down at work and couldn't cope. I realized what I'd done to myself.   
> So my partner and I used the holiday as time just for us. I got to see my mum and we did something new almost every day, but were left it pressure free and just recharged ourselves.   
> I'm finally feeling something close back to my old self.
> 
> But work is picking up and requiring more labor from me. I'm doing full time hours as well as doing work from home that I shouldn't be doing. Adulting is getting tricky to balance with things I want to do.  
> and I'm struggling to find the energy to do things I want to do, like write this fic.  
> ~~  
> TL;DR  
> I want to keep writing, this is not a cancellation, but it is probably a hiatus.  
> I'm going to try and start watching season 3 of miraculous soon (I havent seen it yet) and hopefully that will help inspire me. But I've got other commitments at the moment that are calling for my attention.  
> Thank you for your support. I'm sorry I can't give you more or give you a definitely date of return but this fic is not over. I promise.


End file.
